Luna and Thief
by HatoThePuppy
Summary: This is the story of Luna and Thief, to anybody who feels inclined there is the updated version over different sites (Those I would send personally)
1. Chapter 1

(This is the original posted on Sofurry, Yes I am a furry writer, mainly I write fanfiction. The first few chapters are short and then they develop further to about 10000 words per chapter.) (Rating is PG 13 at least, their is violence and gay relationships throughout the story. You have been warned)

Luna and Thief.

With her nose close to the ground, the wind blew the final few seconds of daylight away from her eyes. Rumbling came to the silence. _Gosh, a whole day and I still haven't found even a berry to eat._ Her stomach nipped and growled bitterly back, demanding food even as she stood back up. _I can't even catch onto a whiff of food._ The middle of a forest was where this small fox walked on the sight of bug-type Pokemon flew high into the air. She pressed forward the sun began drifting off sluggishly but that didn't make her tired just a little cold and scared as the twisted and gnarled roots began looking even more fiendish to her eyes. _I don't like it here at all, I wanna go;_ her thoughts quickly fell short, she had no home to go back to. Small tears came to her eyes but she shook them away in bitter rage. _I`ll never trust a trainer!_ The rage went to her chest, a small burning pain that beat itself against her red fur; the licks of small embers twitched from her muzzle but she quickly dispersed them with the sound of her stomach. _I have to conserve my energy._ She listened to the forest with teary eyes, her enraged hunger nipping at her once more. _I miss that Pokemon food. _Thinking of food only made her hungrier so she pressed further into the sunset for another hour. The bushes picked clean and not a berry in sight, she slowly collapsed with her six tails thrown in front of her. Cold, drowsy and with the clouds above her beginning to churn the little Vulpix tried to rest up for the night, but her restless sleep only made her more tired the next day. In the light wet mist of the bright mid-day sun a small canine figure came from down field, she only noticed the small dog for a little while before her eyes went wide, it was headed in her direction. Her muzzle in the mud she watched in surprise to notice that a small group of Spearows were flying overhead. _They're attacking him?_ A Growlithe dodged back from a diving Spearow countering with a solid blast of fire that lit up her eyes. _That's flamethrower?_ She looked left and right for a trainer, but there wasn't any to be found. It didn't take the small dog long to fend off his attackers, he was panting heavily cuts and bruises were lashed into his fur. In the sudden moment a soft scent touched her nose, she looked hardly to her left, an Oran berry lay on the forests floor from a bush._ FOOD!_ She picked up the berry with a small smile of victory that lifted her spirit but her eyes fell to the small injured Growlithe. She paused, contemplating what to do before sinking her head down and slowly walking from the forest. _I`m way too much of a pushover._ She thought to herself. _He probably does need it more than I do, these berries do help with injuries a lot._ She got within about twenty centimeters before the Growlithe turned to meet her eyes, growling at first. She had the berry in her mouth and couldn`t speak well because of it she simply lied down, she was used to submitting to other Pokemon by now.  
>"You need thish" She tried to speak, blushing from her young child-like voice before walking up to the dog. A small rock got in her way – she hadn't noticed and fell into him; their noses touched her eyes went wide. The small berry barely separated their muzzles from pressing together. His eyes were wide and he flustered, his furred face went red from his blush.<br>"MmF" She bested out that he said Oh. "Thanks." He spoked with the berry still pushed up to him, she took a moment and stepped slightly away. He bit into the berry - _There goes the only food I've found in the past few days – _but he only took half. Her stomach rumbled shortly after she devoured her half and pushed away only to start blushing. His mouth open - as if to speak – but was interrupted by the sounds of a bike wheel. _Oh god! A trainer!? What do I do!? What do I do?_ She began panicking softly and almost turned to leave  
>"Wait, you're name?" The Growlithe finally forced it out.<br>"Luna." She went dead quiet. "I –I'm, uh no! I don't have one." She cursed that name, the name her trainer gave her.  
>"Hey Thief!" The Growlithe turned a shadow further down the meadow. "Come on! We have lunch waiting for everyone!" By the time he turned back, Luna was gone. She hid back into the trees only to hear the small dog's voice<br>"We're by the river! You should come if you're hungry." Her stomach growled at her, she sunk her head again and fought about this. _Only this once._ She turned and slowly followed the Growlithe keeping at least twenty paces behind him. He turned once or twice and she had hid so fast that hardly the wind could keep up with her, or her breath. Her pants were what worried her from the start. _Can he hear me? Did he see me? What about his trainer? What will he do?_ In the distance the roar of water came to the air, she could see the bright blue river that slowly coursed nearby when they stopped.  
>"One second Thief." His trainer was young with light blond hair, he pulled out a Pokeball. "I'm going to try her here." He released the Pokemon inside and what stood was a gray and black-furred wolf-like Pokemon that stood past his waist height. Luna had never seen a Pokemon like that inside the Kanto region. It viciously bared its huge fangs at the trainer and growled bitterly, he returned it into the Pokeball. "Every time… The Pokedex even tells me that they never go against their leader." Thief stared with a tilted head his ears almost waned off to his left. "It's like a mutiny… Well let's keep going, the food won't last forever." Luna spent her time studying the odd trainer. <em>He's walking his bike beside his Growlithe and he's even talking to him. <em>She paused to think for a while. _My trainer never did that?_ She pressed forward; the soft smell of actual food cooking on an actual camp stove brought her to Cloud 9. She almost shivered in glee wanting to bolt ahead of the two before holding herself back. Luna stalled her excitement and followed slowly behind Thief. _I don't think they've noticed me yet._ Luna nervously played with her paws and walked up further hardly five paces behind them now.

Luna heard a sound she thought it came from Thief who started to walk with a small spring in his step. hiding in a nearby bush she watched the trainer released all of his Pokemon. A Pikachu, a Marill, an Espeon, and that strange large dog all came from the trainer. The scent of steamed rice and tofu along with fresh fruits and some salted and cooked salmon. Luna sniffed in the scent from her hiding place her stomach nipped violently at her; Luna could hardly take her hunger any longer when suddenly something sat next to the bush she hid in.  
>"So you did come along." It was Thief who scared her; her fur stood on ends and her eyes went wide. He pulled out something from underneath his collar, the first time she actually noticed the brown leather collar with a bell at the end of it. What he pulled out was a seaweed wrapped Oniguri that he gave to her. He was quick with it so no-one had noticed him.<br>"What about you?" Luna spoke, a little surprised.  
>"There's plenty of food to go around my trainer loves to cook, in fact I've seen him hand food out to other trainers and even wild Pokemon." Luna took a little offense to that, but she couldn't blame him for considering her a wild Pokemon. "I mean if he does it I should too right?"<br>"What are you doing?" Both of them jolted to the sound of her voice, the black and gray wolf spoke.  
>"N- Nothing Bandit!" Bandit's yellow eyes were studious, reading Thief's body-language. She lied her head back down<br>"You better not be handing food out again." She growled bitterly at him… enough that he whimpered.  
>"I." He swallowed hard. "I'm not." Bandit was about to speak again, but the trainer called to her and brought her some food.<br>"Thief, come get seconds." Quickly he stood and began walking towards the human, bolted when he seemed to get a little too close to Bandit. In silence Luna ate away at the rice ball, chewing softly only to keep looking at the wolf-like Pokemon ahead of her. The trainer chuckled and handed more food to Thief.  
>"Pewter City is up ahead, you gotta keep yourself full and ready if we're going to win that badge!" The trainer handed a bowl out to the Espeon. "There you go Moonlight." The Espeon mewed happily and took the bowl from him the trainer had simply chuckled and gave a warm smile in return. Luna stopped eating for a few seconds. <em>I… I wish I had a trainer like that.<br>_Luna looked up and froze, Bandit wasn't there. She swallowed hard listening to the sounds around her, but it wasn't what Luna heard that frightened her, it was what tugged at her tails that did. Bandit had pulled her right from the bush with such a commotion that even the trainer looked over to her.  
>"You know." Bandit spoke with her mouth stuffed from a few tails. "It would've helped if you decided to hide these better instead of sticking them halfway out of the bush." With a small bitter whine Luna, in fear, broke into sudden tears.<br>"I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry!" Luna whined and begged  
>"A Vulpix huh?" Bandit gave a sharp look to Thief. "A small one at that too." Luna forced her eyes to look around, but with her world being upside-down (Quite literally) she could only look into the gray furred chest of the Pokemon that held her, the blood slowly rushed to her head. Finally Luna was dropped to the grassy bed below her, yet when she looked up; all she saw was the frightening sight of a huge shadow. Luna wanted to run but Bandit was right behind her, the luminous figure came closer then slowly dropped to one knee. Luna closed her eyes shut she whimpered and lied down to the floor only to have a strong scent catch into her nose. <em>Is that?<em> She looked up to a slice of salmon. _It is!_ She graciously nibbled into the piece, looking up with big eyes into the trainer's shadow. He spoke but no words hit her ears, only the name Thief; who snapped to attention almost immediately. That was Luna's curse; she was always cursed and could never hear the words spoken by a human.

End


	2. Chapter 2

Luna and Thief Ch: 2 New Friends

The stars seemed endless as they twinkled and softly lit up the night sky with gentle kisses that brushed against the small clouds above her. How she came to terms with this Pokemon trainer was still confusing. _He's different… odd_, _but it's a good kind of odd._ Luna rested her neck down and watched up into the darkness of the night. _I don't like the look of those clouds it feels like it may rain again._ In the moment she closed her eyes, thinking back to his face. The trainer offered food first; whatever he said she couldn't hear him, she couldn't hear any human. He held out a Pokeball after as if wanting her to choose. _He's a different trainer that's definite._ For whatever reason - and for the first time in a very long time - Luna was touched by the kindness of a human being and his Pokemon. Luna felt warm and it wasn't just because she was next to a campfire yet she also felt alone all the same. Everyone around the campfire, the trainer, Thief, Bandit, Moonlight, Pikachu, and Marill all seemed to have a place. _They're all like a family…. And their campsites quickly become like a home._ Whenever Luna notices them smiling, so happy with this young trainer she seemingly felt evidently lonelier when staying in the corner of the campfire. A whole different world lay hardly a few centimeters across from her, but she couldn't help but smile when she noticed Thief's face brim with happiness. Thinking of him like that made her blush red and bury her face deep into her paws._ Why am I thinking of Thief like this? Is it because of that mistake?_ Luna played the scene through her mind again and again but she shortly realized that she was picturing it without the berry separating them both and that really didn't help her at all. All she could do was bury her muzzle into her paws once more and look up into the night sky  
>"Oh Fire's dying down." The trainer stood up and walked from the firelight Luna assumed that he went out to find more firewood. The sound of a peaceful river coursing through the night was nearby, they all decided to stay back for just a while longer before reaching Pewter City. Luna almost believed it was to test her, just to see if the newest Pokemon would back out or not. <em>So far I don't see anything wrong in my choice.<br>_"Is that right?" A voice preached her, his voice a sounding wisp that clasped down against Luna's ears. "You haven't learned anything have you?" Luna sat up, looking around in confusion. _I know that voice? But from where?  
><em>"Hey Luna." Thief scared her once again causing her fur to jolt up. "What are you doing?" He asked his head tilted to the left with a curious look. _He's definitely not young, just naïve.  
><em>"Just daydreaming… I guess." She looked up to the stars again, this time marveled at the sight of a shooting star that shot across the sky.  
>"Uh." Thief made the sound, an odd nervous sound that made her turn. "Thanks, for today." He was blushing and nervously playing with his paws. Luna felt the blood rush to her head.<br>"Oh! N- No problem… I should be the one thanking you actually."  
>"Really?"<br>"Well I probably still would be starving if it wasn't for your offer." Some chuckling came from behind them.  
>"I swear it almost looks like you two are going to kiss." Bandit's two cents made Luna notice how close she was to Thief's face, all her blood rushed to her head she almost felt a little dream-like. "It's kinda cute honestly." The large dog chuckled a little more than rested her head down for the night. Luna's felt in some way a little hopeless, she hardly knew this Growlithe but for some reason she was already attached to him. To Thief, Luna was much the same.<br>"I." Luna began. "I guess she's sorta… kinda right…" Her head sunk low she knew that Thief was stunned, paralyzed by her words.  
>"Well uh…" Thief started. "I feel like I've known you forever… I mean have we met before?" From the edge of the shadows the blonde-haired trainer came back into the firelight. He threw more wood on the fire and looked up to the sky. Shortly after his eyes landed on Bandit; Luna turned and watched in a small wonder as the trainer pulled out a thick sage winter-like jacket and put it over-top of Bandit. <em>He's right… it does feel like I've met him before. Maybe that's why I feel so… attached<em>. The trainer had crept into his sleeping bag and fallen asleep by now, Luna couldn't believe she was already considering this to a person she's just met.  
>"L - Luna?" Thief nervously stuttered when her face came close to his. She was blushing looking at him with starry eyes. <em>I've met him before.<em> A little closer to him now, so close; Luna pictured the berry. _I just don't know where._ She did it their muzzles pressed together. His eyes were wide open hers were narrow, hidden behind a hot-red blush that let her exchange licks. Thief was solid confused with what to do, just blushing from Luna's tongue that pressed tenderly against his mouth and beneath his chin.  
>"Luna…" Rubbing her muzzle up against his, she realized exactly what she had done. Her first kiss… the first one given to an oddly familiar stranger, she had to push away.<br>"I – I'm sorry." Luna sunk her head down.  
>"Luna." She stepped out from the fire, from the broad star-filled sky above and headed towards a small nearby boulder.<br>"I – I'm just going to sleep over there. I'm so sorry I just –"  
>"I – It's okay, I understand." Thief said walking the opposite way. "A- Are you going to be cold? I mean you're far from the fire." Luna was still red-faced.<br>"No! I'll be okay." She went through the effort of convincing him and stepped towards the rock just out of the fire-lights reach; a soft grassy spot seemed to just be conveniently there. Lying down Luna's eyes looked up to the churning clouds and that made her second-guess herself. _I really don't like rain at all._ Curling up her beautiful tails covered her face as if hiding from Thief's eyes. Shortly she closed hers just as the sound of thunderclaps hit overhead.

A decent hour had passed with the twisting and turning and the sounds of pattering rain. Thief was worried and he couldn't sleep being so worried as he was. _I got to see her, it's really pouring out right now! She must be freezing cold._ He stood up and trudged out from under the small shelter that covered everyone from the rain, everyone except Luna who was shivering in the darkness alone. Powerful gusts of wind stabbed at him like the wingbeats of a Pidgeot.  
><em>Gosh it must be a passing storm!<em> The rain struck down relentlessly against him. _I hope the river doesn't flood over, that's happened to us once before._ His thoughts were nothing but his motivation to keep on moving and it really didn't take him long. Thief discovered that he was right it was only a passing storm that had fallen further up river and was already gone. Luna was there, almost entirely soaked through. _She's going to catch a cold._ Thief picked her up, it was the first time he noticed how small she was, about half his size. Surprisingly still sleeping Luna slumped over Thief's back and he began going to the slowly dying fire._ Luna… she looks adorable when she's asleep!_ Thief slowly began to blush, he felt as if he'd seen it before. Shaking away the thoughts he quietly relit the fire and cuddled up close to her. With his body close up to hers he nuzzled into her neck fur and drew her scent in. _It's so familiar, I know her scent… this is weird._ Thief thought to himself and snuggled up tight. Thief could see her face, feel that Luna stopped shivering and in the midst of her sleep she seemed to smile softly.

End


	3. Chapter 3

Luna and Thief Ch: 3 Brad The Lucario Trainer!

"There it is!" Whatever the feeling it swept over them all and made them shine with the sense of accomplishment. Pewter City, the sign again and again by the trainer, as if he was certain it wasn't real. "We made it everyone!" From the sounds a small sneeze came into the air, it was from Thief. He pawed at his nose and shook his head left and right.  
>"Do you have a cold?" Luna asked looking at him with curious eyes.<br>"Uh yeah. I guess so." Thief replied rubbing his nose again. Luna couldn't explain it she slept away from the group last night but was around the campfire in the morning. _I guess I woke up in the middle of the night and went to the fire._ She was dry and warm Thief on the other hand was still wet and shivering. _Maybe he slept in a small dip? The rain-water would've collected inside._ She was almost sure that's what had happened. The sneezing came up again, the trainer turned to Thief and picked him up  
>"You're soaked." Thief sneezed again and shook his head. "Maybe I'll just bring you to the Pokemon Center I bet you've got a cold." He turned to meet the face of an odd old man dressed in ragged dirty clothing. "JEAZ!" The trainer jumped back.<p>

"You there!" The old man called out  
>"What do you?"<br>"You're Pokemon! I am a traveling identifier, I know the nicknames of all Pokemon!"  
>"…." Silence<br>"Don't believe me?" The old figure crossed his arms  
>"No." He blatantly replied a little monotone and annoyed. "You're one of those scam guys who's going to do something for me than ask for cash."<br>"Of course not!" The man exclaimed. "I am simply an old man who has a talent with the names of Pokemon." The trainer was going to speak once more.  
>"You're Griffin for one." That shut the trainer up. "You're Growlithe is Thief. Your Mightyena is Bandit."<br>"Have you been following me?" Griffin asked, his arms crossed now.  
>"That Espeon is Moonlight. You're Pikachu and Marill… You haven't nicknamed… Yet they have names regardless!"<br>"Riiiiight." Griffin turned to leave spotting out for a PokeCenter.  
>"By their personalities, I'd say you're Pikachu's name is…. Scarf!<br>"Pika?" Translation. "What? ..." Griffin turned  
>"I am perfectly capable of nicknaming my own Pokémon thank you."<br>"Fine yet you're Vulpix…."  
>"What about her?"<br>"She has been with a trainer before, a few actually!"  
>"Even I know that!"<br>"Her name ….… Is Luna!" Thief stared at the old man and knew he wasn't lying. Luna stared too after reading his lips _He is for real_ she thought.

"Alright thanks…. Bye now!"  
>"Wait."<br>"Oh dear god…" Griffin turned again. "What?"  
>"That Vulpix isn't normal you should get rid of it soon." It wasn't Griffin who spoke, but Thief. By reaction he bared his teeth and roared at the old man that got him going. Griffin looked at Thief than back to the man who was already gone.<p>

"That was a little disturbing…" Griffin blew it off and walked into Pewter City, it was sunset by the time they actually got to Pewter. Inside the center he returned most of the group except Luna who swatted the Pokéball away. Griffin tried again and got the same result from her. "Don't like Pokeballs huh?" Luna could read lips a little she got talented at that over her life. "Fine."  
>"Welcome to the Pokémon Center, I'm Nurse Joy."<br>"Hi, I was just wondering if I could recover my Pokémon."  
>"Of course." She took the tray of Pokéballs and Luna from Griffin. "It may take a while though, as you can see we have a lot of people in this evening."<br>"That's fine in fact I was going to check in at the market and pick up some supplies."  
>"Don't worry, your Pokémon will be safe here."<br>"Thank you." Griffin left the center.

Inside Luna waited pawing at her swaying tails in boredom. _I haven't been inside a Pokémon Center in a long time._ The room was big but warm she went up to Thief's Pokéball and opened it. He came out.  
>"Oh Luna. For a minute I thought Griffin let me out."<br>"I'm so bored waiting in here." Luna spoke staring at him. "I also get kinda… Nervous."  
>"Oh well I guess we can talk a while." Thief sneezed shortly after.<br>"You still have a cold?"  
>"Yeah… Who ever heard of a fire Pokémon having a cold anyways?" Luna giggled.<br>"I know I haven't." Shortly after she stared down at her paws. "…." Silence. "I had a dream last night." Thief lied down and curled up. Luna felt the blood slowly rush to her head. "You were in it."  
>"Really?" Thief was yawning, it didn't seem like he was all too interested.<br>"You've been yawning and trudging along all day." Thief's eyes perked open.  
>"I had a rough night." He yawned again, a long one. "I hope you don't mind if I take a nap."<br>"Oh… Okay." Luna replied. Some noises of the outside world came from the nearby doorway. Bored Luna lied down and decided to listen to them.  
>-<p>

"You lot carry sushi rice?" Griffin asked the cashier after scouring the small market for a while.  
>"Uh yeah third aisle closest to the entrance." <em>Always the one spot I never look!<em>  
>"Thanks." He smiled sheepishly feeling like a total idiot. In the aisle Griffin pulled out a few small bags of rice along with different sets of seasonings and some paper bowls. Along the wall of the shop were the frozen goods they kept behind the glass doors, Griffin debated whether or not to pick something up. <em>Team motivation! Come on pick up some actual meat, they're all bound to love it!<em> It was all Griffin needed to tell himself before he took out a few decent grams of meat. Passing to the cashier's he made an unexpected run-in to a small shadow.  
>"Please refrain from keeping your Pokémon out sir!" Griffin was on the ground his grocery bags had hit the ground too. He looked up only to look at a slender firm Pokémon.<p>

"A Lucario?" The trainer was in the midst of apologizing to the cashier before coming over to Griffin.  
>"I'm so sorry." He said, helping Griffin with his bags.<br>"It's okay, I'm fine." Griffin replied standing up with his groceries in hand. "Are you a trainer?"  
>"Uh yes. I'm staying at the Pokémon Center tonight the gym is closed here today." Out of all that time Griffin didn't even decide to check out the gym.<br>"Well that's good to know! I'm Griffin." He held his hand out to greet him, the trainer shook his hand.  
>"Name's Brad."<br>"Sorry to interrupt, are you paying for all that?" The cashier chimed in.  
>"Right sorry!" Griff paid the price tag, 357 Poké. Leaving the market both Brad and Griffin left together.<br>"Yeah so I'm from Sinnoh." Brad explained. "This is my Lucario Aura." The Pokémon chimed in as Brad started to chuckle. "The craziest thing is that my Pokédex tells me I have a female Lucario." Griffin was impressed.  
>"That gender is rare for them." He replied, a little shocked about it.<br>"Yep. I came to Kanto to compete in the league, I hope to become a famous chef though." Brad stopped for a second, Looking at Griffins black and gray bag. "Is that…" Brad looked closer Griffin finally realizing his bag was open. "A field stove kit?"  
>"Uh Yeah it is."<br>"Whoa, those cost a fortune!" Brad's eyes lit up. _This is starting to get a little awkward. _"I'd buy one… It's just." Brad looked to Aura who had this look to her, Griffin couldn't explain it. "I can't cook at all…" _This is the same guy who just moments ago said he wanted to be a chef!?_  
>"I tend to cook a lot." Griffin looked up the Pokémon Center stood in front of them, and behind them was a passing road with its street-lamps brimming with light. "In fact once we get inside I was going to start cooking dinner, would you like to join?" Aura looked at Griffin as if he was an angel, he almost felt inclined to blush from it. Brad looked at Aura then sunk his head down for a second before jolting back up.<br>"We'd love to!"

"There's your Pokémon." Nurse Joy handed over Griffins entire team, for whatever reason Thief was out of his Pokéball along with Luna.  
>"And you're sure you don't mind me doing some cooking in here?"<br>"Just don't burn the Pokémon Center down, that and lights out by eleven please." Griffin nodded and looked around. Earlier that evening the place was oddly full now it was simply silent with only Griffin and Brad in the foyer. Griff set up his small set of stoves, four in total that could be attached together to have a grill in the middle. It was the perfect set he had made and it almost let him cook everything he wanted to make out in the field. It ran on Propane though which was the pricy downfall of it, but it really didn't weigh much and it was easy to set up and take apart. Setting the entire stove-set up Griffin began boiling some water for rice and decided between frying and grilling the meat he selected. Brad stared deeply in the background, as if studying in curiosity where he goes wrong in his cooking. After an hour had passed, Griffins watch told him it was nine-thirty, by then most of the food was already done. He let out all of his Pokémon into the foyer and then noticed that Brad hadn't yet.  
>"Well I don't cook Pokéfood I decide to actually make food for everyone." Brad looked a little puzzled.<br>"Is that even healthy for them?" _That is a pretty valid point_. Griffin looked around already realizing that he had passed some Oniguri around. He noticed that Luna shared half of hers with Thief it was touching for him to know that they were already close.  
>"I'd say it's very healthy." Brad seemed to mutter something along the lines of 'Not for your checkbook' in remark before standing with a smile.<br>"You're a real oddball trainer Griff." Griffin chuckled.  
>"I get that a lot."<br>_

"You really don't need to half yours Luna." Thief said almost pushing the rice ball away.  
>"Well the trainer is a few short I don't want you to be hungry." Luna replied she could feel that something was upsetting him and simply prayed it wasn't because of her. Thief stared long into Luna's eyes, she almost felt like blushing. It still confused her why she felt so hot when she was near him. He sighed and bit into the food.<br>"Alright… Thank you." He spoke with a mouthful swallowing shortly after. "Our trainer's name is Griffin."  
>"Griffin?" Luna never really did catch onto saying his name it wasn't that she didn't know, just that it felt too early to start with that. She stared off to the other trainer and the bipedal jackal; she had never seen anything like it before. The Pokémon sat nibbling away happily at its own food in the corner of the Center with its trainer, Griffin sat nearby. Bandit overlooked him with sharp eyes, Luna knew that she wasn`t all too trusting of the new fellow. Being amazed at the wonder that Luna had felt, the very thought that she was actually considering this peaceful made her happy. The thoughts stayed with her as she ate in silence with everyone; she didn't feel very much alone anymore. Suddenly Thief perked up. Griffin was talking about something and it took Luna a while of reading his lips to understand; He was considering of letting Brad travel with them.<p>

"You only have one Pokémon and you are planning on competing in the league?" That came shortly after they decided to travel together, after-all they were both headed in the same direction.  
>"Yeah." Brad replied. "Me and Aura are going to be one of the first people to ever win a league with only one Pokémon!" <em>That's one crazy dream.<em> "I say go big or go home, I'm hoping to learn about Pokémon in my travels and a lot about culinary too!"  
>"What do you cook?"<br>"… Well I am really good at some baking, like muffins and brownies and such… But actual meals I always ruin." Brad held a figure under his chin. _He actually has to think in depth about this!?_ Griffin was beginning to wonder if this guy was for real  
>"Curfew time." Nurse Joy called from behind a counter Griffin took that as the sign that they had to get to bed. He set up his small sleeping bag, most of his Pokémon gathered around him, except for Bandit who had the nerve to jump up on one of the couches in the Center. Luna also slept away from the group for the night.<br>"Bandit!" Griffin harshly whispered but his Mightyena simply rolled away from him and decided to sleep there for the night.  
><em>Tomorrow morning I'm going to challenge the Pewter Cities gym leader Brock!<em>

_End_


	4. Chapter 4

Luna And Thief Ch.: 4 Challenge of Pewter Gym!

The next morning was quiet, Luna had just opened her eyes to have the bright morning light touch them. Her world a dream; she felt something… Something warm that was perched over the back of her neck  
>"Morning" She knew that voice. <em>Thief? <em>The soft gentle, whispered tone echoed through the morning light; she was somewhere else but that quickly changed to the sight of the bright sun shining into the front doors of the Pokémon center. There was the front foyer - where she stayed - and then there was the actual lounge where everyone else was, everyone except Bandit who was still sleeping on the couch across from Luna. Stretching, standing, and squinting from the sunlight in her eyes and yawning; Luna was the first one awake. After a moment of waiting something struck her, the blood was all rushed to her head she was blushing through. _What was I dreaming of last night?_ A little tone of panic reached that thought  
>"Hey." <em>That voice?<em> Luna turned to see Thief who sluggishly yawned while stretching his paws out. "Why are you awake this early?" Frozen for a few seconds Luna shook herself awake  
>"I could ask you the same thing… How's your cold doing?"<br>"Gone I hope" Thief replied, sitting down next to her  
>"Oh so you're both awake." That voice made both their fur go on ends, Bandit was already awake and aware, and stared from the sofa she laid down upon<br>"Yes Bandit…" Thief spoke with a soft tone. "A- and I'm ready to go for this gym badge!" Bandit smirked and laid back down  
>"Yeah you go do that."<br>_Why is she the way she is?_ Luna wanted to know but… after staring into that Mightyena's sharp deep-gold eyes she couldn't find the courage to say anything  
>"Oh lay off them you." A set of dark violet eyes stared from the darkness of a doorway and out from the shadows came a slim lilac figure. Moonlight - Griffin's Espeon - stood watching them. Yawning a little before coming closer, his eyes staring into Bandits and he gave a warm smile to her before going to Luna and Thief. "So you're that little Vulpix everyone was talking about." Luna nodded her head and got a small kind smile in return. "Sorry for not introducing myself sooner, my name's Moonlight as you may already know." Luna studied him closely.<br>_There's a word I'm thinking of to describe him…._ He almost seemed to bow on introduction, his warm smile and the way he showed off his tail when he walked. _Hmmmmm…_ He was talking about his trainer at first before drawing in Thief –who slowly gave an embarrassing blush- and talking about him and how they met.  
>"I got it!" Luna thought aloud<br>"Huh?" Moonlight muttered in confusion  
>"Flamboyant!" Moonlight hit the floor with that, slowly he stood back up with a small chuckle<br>"I guess it's simply right to spot that out." A very matter-of-fact tone before he walked off, a small strut in his step. It made Luna question him more. _Is that Espeon  
><em>"Hey! Who's hungry?" Thief interrupted her thoughts. Luna could spot out that he was still embarrassed. "Let's just go wake Griffin up!" Thief had decided to urge Luna to come with him and she did without much question. She started to blush herself and was a little overwhelmed that she already trusts Thief. It was the noise from the other room that stopped them; Griffin was already awake, took off his grey cotton over-shirt and stepped outside the center. Luna studied closely -being as naturally observant as she was- and noticed the small purple hairs that covered his white and grey over-shirt before he gave it a few decent shakes. Light grumbling softly began hitting the air, Luna knew he was speaking.  
>"Night after night, why does he have such an obsession with cuddling?" Her eyes caught the movement of his lips. Griffin looked at his Pokédex, and watched the time carefully<br>"A little early…" He thought out-loud before walking back in and noticing Luna was awake. "You're up early too." Griffin spoke, yawning and stretching his arms. Walking by her, he began staring back to the gym; which wasn't all too far away. Almost right over a few hedges really. Griffin made a determined fist and grinned into it and walked further inside the Pokécenter.

"Alright!" Griffin called out only to get startled yelps and whines from both Brad and the Pokémon. "Who's ready to take on that gym!?"  
>"Griff…" A slug voice beat the air only to be met by the glow of a Pokédex "its SIX IN THE MORNING!" Like that wouldn't wake and startle everyone; from the foyer Bandit began to chuckle. The laughter was quiet but shrill and almost twisted and dark. Luna felt her legs shake, it was terrifying to see the fangs gleam in the morning light and the eyes narrow down on the under-disciplined companions. Luna swallowed dryly and took a step<br>"What's your point Brad?" Griff began not knowing what he was getting into  
>"First off." Brad smiled sarcastically. "WHAT TEENAGER GETS UP BEFORE TEN!?" Griffin responded with a nervous chuckle. "Uh… Well."<br>"WHAT GYM WOULD BE OPEN AT SIX IN THE MORNING!?" Luna couldn't figure out which was more frightening, seeing Bandit laugh… Or watching Brad without his beauty sleep.  
>Griffin softly spoke<br>"The early… bird gets the worm?" The voice sounded minuscule as Brad's eyes narrowed like Bandits  
>"If you don't want the crap beaten outta you, I suggest you let me get another FOUR HOURS OF SLEEP IN!" Brad put stress on the last five words and then slammed his head back down on his pillow. "Go for a jog if you're so high energy!" He taunted his hand up and pointed to the door. "There's plenty of ways how to kill time here. Anyways the gym doesn't open until TEN!" Griffin was standing outside looking up to the sky and chuckling nervously<br>"I am never waking him up early again…"  
>From the back Luna heard more chuckles Bandit almost began laughed hysterically to herself<br>_I don't see how this is very funny…  
><em>Her eyes caught Griffin walking to the door he seemed shaken up while he stared outside of the center. Luna went towards him but was held by a paw that tugged at her. It was Thief who stared at her with an awkward look  
>"It's been kind of weird this morning, it'll be probably best to leave him be." Thief gave a warm smile. "It's nice to see you're concern though." Luna softly began to blush, her eyes went wide for a moment before she was taken back<br>"I –I am not concerned about him!" _Where are you going with this Luna?_ "I – I mean why should I?"  
>Thief looked as if he was struck down<br>"Well, I don't think that's entirely true... After-all you've stayed with us for this long."  
><em>He's just so blunt about it<br>"_Well… Uh…" Luna cut off, played with her paws and booked out of the center  
>"Excellent work Thief." Bandit snickered from the back. "You chased her off!" Thief grinned; the soft curve touched his rosy cheeks<br>"She'll be back." Thief giggled and knew what Bandit didn't see was the small kiss Luna gave him before she ran out.

Griffin walked down the road and watched the sunrise. His hands clasped behind his head as if he'd lie on the grass and cloud-gazed. Gently he felt a paw at his leg it made his brows curl  
>"Oh?" His Vulpix had followed him and he brought out a smile. "I guess you're worried I'm upset." She jumped onto a small wooden railing that separated the trees from the town; matching his waist height. <em>I swear I feel like she has a hearing problem…<em> Griff talked to her, noticed that she hardly flinched to any sound he'd make. Every now and then she seemed to look up to him as if expecting he was talking  
>"Well I heard Brock is the gym leader here." Griff chuckled. "I may play with fire but I'll show him what happens when you heat up rock enough!" He stood heroically his hand making a fist of excitement to the rising sun. "You can count on it!" He then paused. <em>Well after-all rock eventually cracks… Eventually<br>_The Vulpix continued to walk even after Griffin stopped. Griff almost chuckled to himself and tilted his head down. _I've been denied…_  
>"Hey there, you're a trainer?" Griffin turned to a tan skinned man, well into age. He wore a toque and a tan-like shirt. Griffin seemed to frown.<br>_Is this ANOTHER crazy old guy? Like the last one hardly twelve hours ago? Or maybe…. More?_  
>"Whoa I didn't think the question would make you think that hard." The man gave a hearty laugh and looked down to Luna. "Hey." He went to pet her but she backed right up<br>"Uh yes I am! My name is Griffin." He held his hand out to greet the older man  
>"Nice to meet you, my name is Flint." He smiled. "I'm guessing you're here for a Boulder Badge?"<br>"Yeah! I'm going to challenge Brock!" Flint almost burst into tears laughing  
>"I guess you haven't heard?"<p>

*8:07* the clock showed the number back to Thief, by now EVERYONE was awake from Brad's outburst… Well everyone but Brad was awake  
>"I know she'll be back." Moonlight almost playfully slithered around Thief's small chest. "And even if she's not, I'm still here." Thief swayed him away with his paw<br>"Stop that! You creep me out with that stuff!" Moonlight innocently chuckled  
>"Awe am I making the puppy nervous?"<br>"I'm not a puppy!"  
>"Shut up both of you or I'll make you!" Bandit snarled and put her head back down on the cushion. "You're already annoying me. Even if they're never back good riddance! It's one less headache for me!" It did shut both of them up, Thief in particular<br>"Well fine if you're going to be all moody" Moonlight sassed. "I may as well go join them." He almost strutted off  
>"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Bandit mumbled something into the cushion, Thief almost perked right up<br>"You have an itch?" Bandit turned to him  
>"Just shut up and go talk to the lightning rat or something." She bared her fangs. "And don't you ever repeat anything you hear me say! Understand!" Thief swallowed hard and nodded<br>"God I should be home, not around here with that idiot trainer." Bandit rolled over into the sofa  
>"Griffins not an idiot." Thief whispered back, Bandit almost rolled back over<br>"Yes. He is, if Trevor was here"  
>"Well he's not!" Thief cut her off, his face almost flushed with anger<br>"Excuse me? You want to cut me off?"  
>"Yes I will! Griffin's not an idiot! He's kind and he cares about us! I'm surprised he's put up with you!" Thief clamped his eyes shut in sheer anger. "HOW DOES SHADOW EVEN PUT UP WITH YOU!?" Thief heard a small snarl and in the next moment his face hit the floor, vicious growls almost bit into his ears; Bandits sharp breath almost dug into them<br>"YOU WANT TO TALK BACK TO ME? AND YOU BRING MY MATE INTO IT!? TELL ME WHY I SHOULDN'T JUST!"  
>"Hey." Thief unlocked his eyes, Bandit snapped up with a growl. Aura "He is just a puppy after all. Anyways, you say you have a mate? I'm certain you wouldn't act like this to your cubs." Bandit's fang kept at bay for a moment, she then snarled softly and got off Thief; after she gave one more parting phrase. "Watch your tongue mutt! It tends to bring trouble." She left, left the center with a small thunder-cloud almost floating around her head<br>"Are you okay?" Aura was fairly tall… for a Lucario, soft-toned too. Thief thought her voice was gentle and tender, like a mother's  
>"Yes I am." Thief still shook all over "Bandit's pulled stunts like that before" He frowned "I've even been bit by her, a few good times too, Griffin even wasted an entire day looking for herbs in a forest because she's bit me that hard."<br>"That's terrible" Aura almost held a paw under her muzzle  
>"Yeah that's why Moonlight tends to stay so close to me, he tries to act like some guardian." Thief lay down for a moment before his eyes went wide. "I'm sorry." He booked out of the center and into the bushes nearby and retched. He still shook violently in fear.<p>

"Wait, Brock's gone?"  
>"Yep." Flint replied<br>"With some trainer named Ash?"  
>"Left at least six months ago." Flint replied again<br>"Well who's the gym leader?" Griffin watched a dark smile form on Flint's face. "Uhhh Flint?"  
>"I guess it's time to introduce myself properly." His hand clasped the back of his head. "Hello my name is Flint, leader of Pewter City Gym." Griffin's eyes went deep<br>"WHOA!"  
>"What?"<br>"I've never actually met one before! You were just completely casual about it and everything!"  
><em>Gosh this is going to take a while.<em> Luna sat down on the pavement, watched Griffin almost flail around in excitement.  
><em>I swear he can be a bit of an idiot…<em>  
>"Now you shouldn't think"<br>"MOONLIGHT!?" Luna almost fell back, her heart bolted into action  
>"… like that about Griffin. Girls… always so jumpy."<br>"WELL WHEN WE HAVE A CREEPER FOLLOWING US!"  
>"Hey now, I was looking for Griffin." Luna shivered that feeling, something else was watching her<br>"Well Flint, I challenge you to a ma- … I need to get my Pokémon from the center…" Griffins head almost hit his feet  
>"You actually forgot!?"<p>

inside the Boulder gym Griffin marveled at the large, almost open space. It was a sunny day out, a plus for fire types  
>"Alright Griffin, You have your Pokémon?"<br>"Much as I need." Griffin called back  
>"Well there is a limit. You are allowed two Pokémon in this battle!"<br>"What?"  
>"Yes, I have two you have two. You can't honestly believe that I'll let you fight with all six!"<br>"Well that's fair!" Brad was still asleep in the rafters behind him Aura was tugging at his shirt.  
><em>He sleeps way too much<em> Luna thought, felt another shiver claw her back. She looked to Thief. She did a few times and knew that he appeared… Pale. _Thief's cold came back?_  
>"Let's start!" Griffin tossed away his cotton overcoat, to show a black muscle-shirt underneath. "Give it your all Thief." Thief sluggishly nodded and took up a stance. <em>His breathings way off, and his stance is out of proportion<em> Luna almost slapped herself. _NO! You are not allowed to think like that anymore! That voice is gone! Long gone!_ She ended up going down to the battle, away from the bleachers. A violent chill hit the air, it took her a moment to notice, and there was six Pokémon. Not seven. Her sharp eyes darted all over and sure enough, she was there. Watching, calculating. Bandit seemed different, just a little bit. A darker aura almost spawned from her devious eyes and sharp-bright fangs; Luna looked into them and back to Thief. She sat at the edge, the first Pokémon out on Flint's play_. A Geodude, pretty original._ Luna almost snickered though. _Why would Brad not lead with water type? It's the only thing that would help him here._ Luna's eyes sunk, Thief took a blow, a rather strong one too. _What is going on?_ She remembered the day she saw him in the forest. _That's not the Thief I remember from that day._ She took a closer look, his fur quivered. _Is he… Scared? _A second blow landed to his gut, Griffin tried to call commands  
>"Geodude, Takedown now!" Flint casually called out and that was that. The response was quick the Geodude landed a blow from the front which reeled Thief back to a column on the gym floor. Luna felt a bitter shock<br>"THIEF! GET UP! MOVE!" _Why am I yelling?_ He hardly groaned though he was wide awake even Luna knew it would take more. _Why isn't he fighting?_  
>"Geodude, finish this! Magnitude!"<br>"Thief!" Griffin called.  
><em>I'm going to regret this choice.<em> Luna closed her eyes, took a breath in and went into the fray  
>"V – VULPIX you're…" Luna knew she couldn't be called back now<br>"Now wait Griffin you can't tag team." Luna pulled Thief from the battle and took up a stance  
>"The Vulpix wasn't supposed to run in, Marill was…" Luna felt a shake Bandit was standing further to the battle scene now watching. Suddenly Luna felt a small smile touch her face, a dark one.<br>_Why? Why am I remembering all this now? I hated him! All of the stuff he did._ A single word bounced in her head. Drowning. _That was his form of training? I couldn't swim._ She felt her teeth bare out, the earth shook around her. _This Geodude only hit a magnitude of four_  
>"Geodude." Flint smiled. "Let's try Earthquake! Go!<p>

Luna sprung her legs she was small and quick slipping beneath and behind Geodude before he had the chance. Her adrenaline pumped through her as she spouted fireballs around the base of him. She bolted to the right side, along the small hill-cliff on the side of the match. _I can use the layout of the stage to my advantage._ She sprouted more fire, ringing the Geodude. _NOW_ Luna sprung down breathed in and let out gouts of fire  
>"Firespin?" Griffin muttered from behind. "She set it up to heat the rocks around Geodude." Griffin paused and smiled. "YEAH LITTLE VULPIX!"<br>_This is child's-play…_ Luna held the fire, used flame-thrower around the base of the small spin. _If the fire sprinklers go off in here I'm done for, with fire-spin keeping him somewhat in place I can heat the rocks around him right up. From there rock cracks_ She held flamethrower tight, condensing the spin into a tight fast flame  
>"Geodude Dig!" Flint called out<br>_NOW_ Luna shot the firespin right up almost taking it – and Geodude – to the roof of the stadium, the water hit on right after he slammed into the metal I-beams above. She canceled the fire and he fell back down, counting pebbles circling around in the air above him  
>"Yeah!" Griffin jumped up and down<br>"Gah." Flint reached for his second PokèBall after calling Geodude back  
>"Heh, might as well. Go Rhydon!" The Pokèball hit the floor, releasing the huge Pokémon hardly a few feet in front of her. "Rhydon here, I'm taking care of for a close friend."<br>"Rhydon use Horn attack!" The Pokèmon charged Luna chuckled to herself._ Wait for it._ Closer now, much closer _Wait…_ The horn pointed dead on for her. _NOW!_ She bolted forward, dodging the horn… barely and jumping right at the Rhydon's face, unleashing a gouge of fire right there. She jumped off, turning to unleash wisps of blue flame all over the Rhydon. _Burns doesn't it?_ The Rhydon charged again, this time she dodged left. _Fire Blast!_ She called it out hitting the Rhydon square  
>"That Vulpix is well trained." Flint commented Griffin, who still kept calling out commands to Luna, not like she could understand him, or even hear him at all.<br>"Yeah… We have this kind of thing all the time."  
>"Rhydon use Ice Beam!" Luna held mark, almost giggling. "You sure that's smart."<br>"Don't be so cocky." The Ryhdon replied in a hoarse matter, unleashing gouts of freeze clean at her. Luna took the hit entirely  
>"Rhydon, Tackdown Now!" The Rhydon charged Luna exhaled.<br>_Heat Wave_ the scorch cut most of the ice in front of her, a dry and bitterly hot breath. _Fire…_ The Rhydon sprang closer _Blitz._  
>Luna charged forward, the flames engulfing all around her fur in a phoenix bloom of flowers and blaze. It was unearthly potent, spurning off another small Firespin nearby her tails. It crackled and peeled at the furred ends with ambers of small white-blue flames. The Rhydon called off Flint's commands, spinning back for a second Ice beam. It was too late Luna struck the Rhydon full force and bit clean. In short, it was all over, ending with the Rhydon knocked out and Luna stumbling out of the stage only to crumple exhausted just outside the chalk line. Her fur smoked black plumes and she coughed out a cloud just as dark<br>"L – Luna?" Thief's voice was wavy  
>"You… didn't move silly."<p>

"OH MY GOD!" Griffin almost hit the roof Brad was wide awake for the performance. "B – Brad did you just see that?"  
>"Yeah I was there." Aura almost lightly punched him. "Hey!"<br>"Well Griffin." Flint returned the Rhydon. "That is one heck of a Vulpix, You know, I've really never had a trainer beat me with one before. I'm just going to say one thing though." Flint threw Griff a burn ointment  
>"It looks like she could use some rest and a little medicine. That was a risky thing she did." It took Griffin a moment to clue it<br>"Oh! Yes, of course sir!" Flint started chuckling  
>"You're one weird guy, but." Flint reached into his pocket. "I present you with this Boulder Badge, indicating you have defeated the Pewter City Gym." Brad came up behind Griff and put his arm around him<br>"Now Flint, can I challenge you?"

Luna woke up in the Pokècenter, extensive care it turned out. The burns she took were worse than anybody thought and it took Griffin a while to realize the ointment didn't help her at all! From there he had run to the center Thief booked after him too, before they found out about the bruising all over his chest and stomach. Luna woke hearing wavy voices; EVERYTHING was wavy to her, the lights, the walls, everything. She learned that she scorched her ear and the sound was shrill enough to throw her off balance. (It was from the dry air and wet air mixing, the sudden ignite caused a huge steam effect) It wasn't permanent but it would stay like that for a decent hour or so  
>"Oh you're awake!" The nurse put an apple by her bed. "You should be much better now. I also went ahead and gave your trainer a bit of a scolding too. Pokémon shouldn't be put under all that stress in such a short time." Luna read her lips carefully.<br>_It was more my fault, I haven't been in a trainer battle in way too long. I forgot my limits…_ Luna nibbled softly on the apple and she swore, even it tasted WAVY. She felt her head touch the pillow  
>"My head hurts." Whined a sound, a small familiar<br>"Thief?"  
>"Wait? Luna?" They talked for a decent few minutes, Luna was dozing off (She was sleeping for most of the day and was still exhausted not to mention hungry because Griffin got too excited and forgot about breakfast for them) They were talking about Nurse Joy for a bit.<br>"Yeah I heard her scold him they're people out there too tonight." Thief giggled. "He must've been so embarrassed!" Thief softly frowned. "Well we are going to Cerulean City tomorrow."  
>"Oh well."<br>"Are you going to stay?" Thief softly chimed.  
><em>After all of this… Am I?<em> Luna didn't need to think twice and nodded  
>"Of course!" She smiled "After all someone needs to help you out from time to time! I got your back and you got mine!" <em>I am making a fool of myself…<em>  
>"Oh…" Thief nodded. "Yeah… friends?" Luna started to blush<br>"Yeah, we're definitely friends!"

End Chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Luna and Thief Ch. 5 Mastermind

Luna tossed and turned in her sleep. Pawing at the air; gasping… pleading. She felt her eyes sting with tears. _I don't want to! I want to get out!_ Her world was darker than her nights alone in the forests, no moon, no stars; just the watery sand that dragged her under. _I can't swim!_ She was crying, gasping in more water. Luna felt her world drag her under only to be alone in the dark, a collared chain strapped around her neck and attached to a metal grate. Drops of water ringed from her fur, she was filthy cold and all alone inside the dark room. Soon after Luna woke in a break of sweat, her heart was racing and she was freezing cold. It was night outside of the center _it's just some nightmare_ Luna shook her head violently.  
><em>I feel sick…<em> She coughed, hacking up a small cloud of black smoke. _I'm still plumed out…_ Luna lay down but she couldn't sleep, instead she jumped down onto the floor and looked outside. It was a full moon, the soft silver rings fogged high into the sky, small black clouds fluttered high above her. The stars shone lightly, turned bright with the moonlights gaze. Luna watched deep into it knowing her eyes shone with much the same color; the white gem filled her wide eyes in the cold night. Streetlamps lit up the road, followed the bustle of bushes that fenced houses and sluggishly trailed the street. Gently a breeze uplifted her chest tuft.  
><em>That's right, it's all over.<em> She smiled her eyes taken back by a small cloud that she swore looked like the face of a Nine-tails before the wind churned the milky cloud further into the night. Luna looked to the ground, a small dip kept a puddle. Within the water was her face, the curl of head-fur had come much undone (After all they don't just stay without proper care) leaving a lacy mess that just tickled her nose.  
><em>I guess the nightmares made me squirm too much, my hair is everywhere!<em> Luna giggled to herself pawing at the strands until her hair straightened out  
>"I think you look pretty like that…" Luna turned. Thief was there, watching her from the center<br>"Oh… uh." Luna felt the blood chase to her eyes. "Thanks." She flicked a paw at it, took it away from her eyes  
>"You have… pretty eyes too. I've never seen them glow like that" Thief burrowed his nose into his chest, nipping at his bandages. "I've been having weird dreams lately…"<br>Luna looked up to the moon again. _I keep thinking about a beachside nearby warm sands on a bright sunny day  
>"<em>I keep dreaming about an island." Thief muttered, looked into the sky too  
>"An island?" Luna replied, sat down at the edge of the steps; her eyes were almost captivated by the stars. They always were when she curiously dared to and then all her problems and worries were simply… gone<br>"Yep, I remember someone… well a voice."  
>"A voice?"<br>"It… kind of sounds like yours" Luna halted_ When I woke up yesterday I swore I heard his too._ "I guess I'm just saying something stupid." He muttered to himself  
>"I – It's not stupid at all!" Luna shyly whined<br>"Uhhh L, L – Luna…" Thief whispered  
>"What?"<br>'Y- You're kind of close to my face…" Luna took a moment she sprung forward when she justified his words. She almost pushed her nose against his… again. Her eyes sharpened, just slightly  
>"Why are you so familiar? Why do I think I've known you before?" Luna got even closer, Thief on the other hand was startled enough to fall back<br>"I… Uh… I don't know." Thief softly shook his head again. "I really don't know either. I mean I remember being in a forest all my life and then I met Griffin!"  
><em>Why do I have nightmares when the memories feel so fake? <em>Luna's head was starting to hurt again  
>"… Well… I've always had bad dreams… I used to remember being on a boat with someone long ago."<br>"What?" Luna wanted to know more  
>"Yes. I remember falling into the water and then I woke up in a forest."<br>"How old are you?" Luna pawned off _I know I'm about four years and a half_  
>"Almost five. Why?" Luna sniffed him<br>"I've only known you for a few days, but I've always known that scent. I know I do." Luna shivered; her nose hardly parted with his!  
><em>I've got to stop kissing this Growlithe… <em>Luna couldn't find it in her heart to stop; the moonlight, the stars and the breezy night, it just felt right. "I don't know why Thief but I think…" Her face flushed deep "I like you." Thief stayed quiet, watched her subtle eyes and churned with her gentle moan. Luna got too close perhaps, before he sprung up  
>"I'm still very tired and we need to leave tomorrow. Goodnight!"<br>_Was it something I said?_ Luna took a look down to her paws and then back to the silvery stone high above her.

A shadow danced atop Luna, her eyes went deep with wonder. Sharp violet cat-eyes stared back before disappearing to the alleyway. _What was that?_ Curiosity caught up with her! Luna walked beside the center by a row of trees that ended in a gate to the back. She heard a sound  
>"Mew." It was oddly rough, she hadn't heard of a Pokémon that made such a sound. But she turned and met eye to eye with it. Bright gem-like eyes glimmered curiously back at her; deep, sharp, violet.<br>"What are you?" Luna whispered and heard a voice in return, a voice she knew she could remember  
>"What am I indeed?" He stepped forward, his thread-like fur a sharp shadowy purple, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly where Luna froze solid.<br>_What is this feeling?_ She turned suddenly to fear. _What is this sudden intent?_  
>"A copy? Many copies only one… favored and the rest thrown aside. But no… I left them all behind. <strong>You haven't learned anything have you<strong>?" Luna felt her eyes widened. She almost saw it, dying here. Her body ragdoll against the wall of the center by a single thought. She felt his eyes target her perfectly. "You can feel it. So leave here, and leave them." She felt her paws leave the earth she was drawn up to his face. His sleek almost cat-like features biting into her "I have this power to kill all of them. So run away and maybe you'll remember that home out in the middle of the sea." Luna was tossed aside, almost hitting the pavement of the road. "Run away and go live in that unsightly matter you've always have and they will survive." The shadows almost enveloped the tiny creature before his honed eyes disappeared deep into the night. Luna froze the voice calling at her with a feeling like claws following around her fur. "What are you waiting for? RUN." She booked it away, down by the gym, outside the town and to the mountainside was, she collapsed nearby a cave in the tall grass. Her stomach hurt; her heart was pounding against her chest when she heard another sound and hid between the trees when the rain hit and pelted down. _It was just thunder. _Luna felt tears sting her eyes. _It's just thunder, it's just thunder._ She was shaking, terrified. Another clap and she was gone, shot through the forest and over a small pocket in the mountainside. She followed it further and further and further until she knew that she was never going to see any of them again.  
>A final sound clicked in the forest and she turned to a large cat-like shadow. It wasn't standing on two legs, but on all four. The eyes were almost pink, but still kept a hint of purple. Luna almost screamed. "Get away from me!" She whined trying to draw fire, it only ended in a lapse of white smoke<br>"its okay Luna." _His voice?_  
>"M – Moonlight?" She started, Luna was gasping for air; she could hardly breathe straight let alone talk<br>"I didn't sleep tonight because I felt an odd aura. I can see that it's touched you."  
>"What has?" Moonlight sighed and swallowed hard<br>"I think it's time I told you a little bit about me." Luna nodded and sat down  
>"I'm not just Griffin's Espeon, I belonged to a researcher by the name of Ayumu<br>"A researcher?"  
>"My original owner spent his time researching remedial and therapeutic medicines to assist in sickness within humans and Pokémon." Moonlight put his paws to the forest floor. "He was an old colleague of a man named… Fuji – if I remember correctly - a scientist too… who went alone years ago. One day we received a call about a few future set expeditions for a creature called Mew. My owner abandoned his research on Mew years ago and naturally he refused accepting a part in the research because most scientists knew that it was a foolish legend, no matter how large or long the archeological excavation; no one would find proof."<br>"So what does this have to do with that… thing" Luna swallowed hard, her throat dry from her sudden run  
>"Something terrible!" Moonlight's eyes dimmed. "We went to pick up samples on day and someone switched one of ours with a strand of DNA found at one of the first expedition sites. Later that night someone broke into my owners laboratory and began running a generator of some sort off of our power grid, we used a lot of electricity after-all."<br>"Used?" Luna's eye widened  
>"When we figured out what was going on, we found something odd."<br>"Odd?"  
>"It was a dark purple ball of fur with cat eyes sitting in the laboratory room. Immediately we noticed at its talent for transformation, much like a Ditto, but there seemed to be something… off about him."<br>"Off?" Luna tilted her head, wondering if she really wanted to know  
>"He had a real talent in understanding psychic and ghost-like powers, but he wasn't limited to them. He could talk and even communicate with human beings and use every Pokémon move ever recorded inside any Pokédex. He just couldn't understand one thing though." Luna felt herself shake, it wasn't just the rain and the cold either<br>"He didn't understand emotions, he seemed soulless. Lifeless even! And in less than a few hours it discovered that it enjoyed watching sadness and hate. Our entire lab - my home - was destroyed before the next hour. It took every little bit of my power just to keep it from…" Moonlight sighed and lowered his gaze to his paws  
>"F – From what?"<br>"From killing Ayumu and even then…" Moonlights eyes started to water. Luna felt a shock of fear run through her. "I just want to be able to stop it, I don't want to hurt him or erase him. I just want him to stop. So I decided to follow his aura, it was easier for me to travel at night. I can read the energy much easier when the world is at rest. That's what made me run into Griffin. The aura seemed to bounce between three common places." Luna gulped her legs started shaking again  
>"Griffin, Thief and now… You… I did realize one thing though."<br>"W – What?"  
>"His weakness, so he tries to remove it from those he preys upon. Like emotions such as happiness and love. I can feel the energy shift whenever it seems to question itself." Luna batted an eye<br>"That sounds entirely crazy."  
>"You felt it just a moment ago." Luna couldn't deny that detail. Moonlight almost wrapped a paw around her. "You remind me… Of someone who was very dear to me. You don't have to fear that shape-shifter he gets very weak around all three of you. Please Luna." Moonlight's head almost brushed against her ear. Her face started an awkward flush. "Don't leave."<p>

By the next day; it was cloudy skies with little sunshine. Griffin sluggishly woke up – his head was pounding. -  
>"Gosh. I have a headache." He couldn't tell if it was from Nurse Joy's long lecture, or the fact he hadn't drunk much water from the day before. He was much too excited to receive his first badge that he forgot about a lot of things<br>"Well that's what you get." Nurse Joy's stern voice almost hovered by from across the room. Griffin gave a pained chuckle  
>"Yes Ma'am." Although the clock hovered around, told Griffin the time was much too late (This being 9:30 in the A.M.) Brad was still snoring, loudly. Aura on the other hand held her paws against the pillow that squished her ears and Moonlight…<br>"Wait." Griffin looked around he knew that Moonlight always; **always** cuddled with him **every** night. But, he was no-where to be seen. Griffin got up, stretched and walked out of the room. The first one of his own Pokémon he saw was none other than Bandit. She simply chortled and rolled over.  
><em>Nurse Joy is going to kill me Bandit's left her fur all over that sofa!<em> Griffin really couldn't scold her much though. Griff couldn't tell why she hated him so much, after-all he was the one who found her in his town as a Poochyena. He fed her and played with her every day, until his brother left to be a Champion that is. _I can't spend my time thinking about this crap._ Griffin put his hands in his pockets and walked by, not putting a second glance on her. _Come to think of it, she's always acted moody around me ever since that Shadow beat her. It took that Mightyena forever to do that._ Griffin felt something touch his leg  
>"Grooowl" Thief nudged at him, passing a small lull of a call. He almost immediately picked him up, caring not to stress on the bandages<br>"Can you help me find Moonlight?" He watched Thief nod and put his paw out to the door behind Nurse Joy's counter. So Griffin walked up to the counter and looked at the door-way  
>"You can't go in there." Nurse Joy noted<br>"Have you seen my Espeon? My Growlithe is telling me he's in there."  
>"Oh? Well I haven't at all." Out of the back came a small "Chancy" of a sound. The Pokémon tugged at Nurse Joy's skirt. She casually walked in the back, took notes on her check-book when Griffin heard a small sound as she took out Luna. Moonlight trailed a little behind. "That's too odd… You're Vulpix is soaked."<br>"What? How?"  
>"Maybe she got out of the room last night I mean I keep it locked every night when the Pokémon are sleeping."<br>"Vuuuuuulpix!" Luna mewed happily popped out of Joy's arm to reach up to Thief.

"I'm sorry if I made thing's awkward last night." She muttered to him  
>"Where did you go? I went back out a moment later and you were suddenly gone!" Luna thought around it for half a second<br>"I decided to go for a small walk, but it started to rain a bit." Luna chuckled and softly nosed Thief, he puttered away and began to choke on his words. It only made Luna giggle softly  
>"Sorry, you act so cute like that!" She teased and trailed back to Moonlight. Thief sat, confused entirely before looking behind him<br>"Hey Brad!" Brad looked up to Griffin. Thief couldn't tell who looked more tired though, Brad or Aura  
>"Uh, yeah hi." He sluggishly said and stretched with a big yawn<br>"You ready to leave? Cerulean City is just around the bend!"  
>"Right right." Brad yawned again. "Remember, we should eat first!"<br>"Riiiight."

_God I love Salmon, it's so good! And those Oniguri are really good!_ Luna's mouth was watering, she almost didn't want to eat – it seemed much too precious after-all – Well, Almost. They all sat out in a field nearby Mount Moon. From what the locals in Pewter say, Griffin and Brad would have to travel through the cavern to get to Cerulean City  
>"Groooooooowwwl." Thief was almost rolling around he was really going on about the food. "It's soooo good!" Griffin made a quick stop by the market before leaving and picked up fresh supplies for lunch<br>"How are you this good at cooking?" Brad said between bites  
>"Well I really love to cook."<br>"Food this good should be illegal!" Brad went back to stuffing his face, Aura was nibbling on her food. Her face seemed flushed (Well as flushed as a Lucario's face could be.) She seemed to really love Griffins cooking. "I just hope the Pokémon don't get sick from eating food like this."  
>"Well I don't think Pokémon would tend to, I mean I've seen trainers do this sort of thing before."<br>"On occasion maybe, but all the time? No!" Brad justified. The argument lagged on until they were all done. Luna rolled around in the tall grass waiting for the two to simmer down. While cloud-watching, the soft threads of white pillows churning high above. Casting shadows all over the mountain to make it all the more mysterious, Luna looked up to see Thief staring down at her.  
>"Hi you!" she giggled a light rose pierced through her red-wood fur cheeks<br>"You're very cheerful today." Thief's head began tilting letting his ear softly sag down. They were gently curled at the end; it was the first time Luna ever noticed them. She began to giggle again  
>"Your ears are drooping!" She carelessly pointed out, Thief crumpled from embarrassment. "I'm just feeling so much better this morning!" <em>I hadn't realized that Moonlight had such a talent with berry crushing and mixing. If it wasn't for him I would still feel sick…<em> Luna had already forgotten – more correctly – forced herself to forget the thing she ran into the other night. She hadn't realized at all that she was acting over-the-top, but it must've been a side-effect from all the berry juice she drank  
>"You don't have to point them out…" Thief whined, hiding his face in his paws. Luna could see his face darken from embarrassment. Rustles came from behind her. A Pidgy trotted around in the grass staring at her.<br>_Right, wild Pokémon hate trainer Pokémon. _The Pidgy looked as if to snarl before it hopped further into the grass  
>"Alright everyone! Let's go." Luna stood up, her head spun from the blood that suddenly raced to her paws. The mountain tirelessly watching over them, Luna breathing in slowly when the darkness began enveloping them only to hear small cursing. "Its pitch black in here!" Griffin rummaged through his bag and pulled out a flashlight<br>"I swear if we run into a Zubat every five feet, I'm not going to be happy." Brad began; Aura started to cling to Brad's overcoat. Luna stared as Moonlight froze in place  
>"Moonlight?" Luna stared to sound startled<br>"I don't know what this feeling is… It feels human…"  
>"What?"<br>"Whatever's in here...? I felt this before." Luna's mind tried to picture Moonlights old home  
>"Could it be-"<br>"Yes, it feels similar." Moonlight's eye dared to shift green. "Don't worry, my eyes are odd. I can see very well in the dark." Luna watched Moonlight tirelessly, his shift left and right. He couldn't see anything but the cavern walls and some Pokémon that dwelled within them  
>"Arrrgh!" Griffin held his arms in defense when a Zubat flailed about. "Get this thing off me!" A dart of sparks shot out from the darkness, Griffin's Pikachu growled; its cheeks sprouted lightning. It didn't take much before the entire cavern spurned to life<br>"You had to say something…" Brad called Aura out she stood held her large paws and took up a defense. Griffin watched her from the back, she clasped her paws together. Griffin watched her closely, he couldn't believe that he had never noticed the fact that she was wearing a sash as a belt, but she had a very small satchel-like bag to it. "Hey Aura. Think you can follow out agility with close-combat?" Brad closed his eyes and gave a smirk a moment later. "Great. After mix it with force-palm and thunder punch. There are at least thirty of them." He smiled and gave a thumb up. "End it well!" He jumped behind her  
>"Shouldn't one of mine help out?" Griffin started<br>"Na, you haven't seen her fight yet." Aura held her stance, in complete darkness the only thing would be the sense of sound, but for her.  
><em>She is an aura type, so she can sense life presence like Moonlight can. I bet hers is even stronger then Moonlight.<em> Luna squinted in the darkness, she swore she could see Aura's paw move. The fluidity, pure perfection of dance; Luna swore she felt her emotion. Confidence, pure unprecedented confidence, when Griffin shone the flashlight to Aura, Luna noticed that her eyes were completely shut and in the next second Luna only watched a pocket of Zubats fall from the cavern air. Aura was perfectly back in her place as if she hardly moved forward. Again, a flash and blur Luna could hardly keep up to Aura's speed, let alone predict it.  
><em>I've never seen a Pokémon so fast before.<em> Another handful, about eight fell from almost all corners of the cave. Again, and again heaps hit the cavern floor. It was frantic for the Zubats, watching them screech out sounds all along the wall to hit a target that was almost as fast as their own shrieks. One aimed right for Luna's side, before she could even turn to look; her face was filled by a dark-blue tail. Sparks of lightning illuminated the cavern all around  
>"There's the exit, further ahead!" A very dim glow came from much further ahead.<br>_I was so busy watching Aura's movements that._ Luna hardly realized that they were moving forward with her, Aura was fighting **through **the cave not just defending Brad or Griffin. Outside, the sun began blinding Luna and Thief. Aura simply flopped on the grass and looked at the sky  
>"Awesome work Aura!" Brad chuckled. "I absolutely hate caves... and shadows, and dark rooms-"<br>"How long were we even in there for?" Brad looked at his watch  
>"About nine minutes and forty two seconds; awesome, another record!"<br>_Aura fought at that speed for nearly ten minutes!?_ Luna swallowed hard. _I always thought that I was fast but… That's just impossible!_  
>"Well Cerulean City should be just ahead." Luna felt a sudden wind. Both her and Moonlight turned to a shadow that bolted further into the shade of the trees<br>"Was that-" Luna began  
>"Yeah that was it." Moonlight replied<br>"It looked like a large dog." Moonlight hummed softly  
>"Not the shadow on top of it." Luna closed her eyes, remembering the shade<br>"A trainer riding an Arcanine maybe?" Luna whispered again  
>"Maybe, but why would they be following us? And how did they get through the cavern before us?"<br>"Are you-"  
>"Yes I'm sure I knew they were in there?" Moonlight brushed it away, looked deep into the wood for the shadows again.<br>Nothing.  
>Within a small glade of trees, passed by a large arched sign *Cerulean City* Griffin stretched. They were walking for at least another hour and a half. Behind them came the sounds of footfalls. Rhythmic taps, something ran towards them; at them. Every time Luna and Moonlight turned.<br>Nothing.  
>The sun was just at the peak of setting, the golden ring of amber light breaking into a red sky. Luna felt a burn deep within her gut. She suddenly had the urge to fight. Griffin bolted ahead, broke her trance when he sunk his head and dug his hands into his pockets<br>"It's closed." The Cerulean Gym casted a shadow over the street, the Pokecenter was closed too, first time Griffin had seen that. "What Pokecenter is closed anyways!?"  
>"Happens often." Brad began<br>"I've never seen that!" Griffin recoiled, he was obviously upset  
>"Did you live in a city?"<br>"Actually yes! I lived in a rather large one." Griffin took a look around  
>"You know I bet there's a motel or something." Brad started. "If anything most towns have something."<br>"Yeah the Pokecenter…" Griffin sunk his head and dug his hands into his jeans. "What a drag…"  
>"Let's find a place to stay for the night." After another hour the sunlight dimmed away to let clouds fill the night. Luna shook, she hated rain for a good reason, and she hated thunder even more. With Luna it was a clash of fire and water the rain always drenched her pelt and when she finally dried up her fur was all stringy! (Vulpix's do tend to the coat often.) A clash hit far in the distance, she counted the beats. Almost half a minute passed before the next one.<br>_I got plenty of time if it comes by this way._ It wasn't all too reassuring when the next clap beat the air. The sun had set deep into the night before they found a cozy small motel where Griffin had to run his bank card through. Finally getting in a room, the women from the front desk knocked on their door  
>"Griffin was it? There is a phone call for you." She told him that there were video phones downstairs<br>"Were you timing that?" Brad chuckled  
>"Don't test me." It wasn't that the room was frozen already the tension just suddenly broke the ice. Griffin walked out of the room and down the stairs<br>"What's with him?" Luna nervously smiled the silence was painful enough  
>"The last time his voice went like that was when his brother called him when he was in a Pokémon Center."<br>"His brother?"  
>"Yep! Griffin's older brother is a Champion! Bandit actually belongs to Griff's brother." Thief started on a tangent, Luna continued to learn from there. "Wait." Thief looked left and right. "Where is Bandit?"<p>

Sharp Azure eyes seemed to copy every movement he made. Griffin dared to look back into them with the same determination his brother always seemed to have. A stressed and darkly-determined look hidden deep behind a twisted smile  
>"I haven't had the chance to call in too long."<br>"I still need to talk to mom to make sure you can't follow that damn bank card!"  
>"Do you generally swear in places like that?"<br>"Only when I need to talk to you." He was monotone, expressionless. They both were  
>"How many Pokémon do you have in your roster?"<br>"Five." After-all he never did technically CATCH the Vulpix following him  
>"Perfect. You see, Shadow has been acting rather… Down lately."<br>"And that mutt you dumped on me has been the same as always."  
>"No need to be so cold."<br>"Funny how you say that." A frigid air wisped into the lobby "When you're the one who turned her into it."  
>"I simply traveled with her." His brother justified, whisked his hair from his face. Griffin had dark green eyes and blond tight-curly hair. They were both different; Griffin almost had a boyish charm, when his brother was mature and definitive, had a sharp face and long sleek brown hair. His cheeks were softly-curved. In short, Griffin and his brother were complete opposites. One took after the father, and the other took after the mother. "In the end, you were the one who begged me too." Griffin snarled he was pissed with the idea of him bringing back something so old and childish. "I'm going to be sending Shadow to you tomorrow. He'll be in the Cerulean Cities Pokémon Center by Nine A.M."<br>"No I nev-"  
>"Remember, Bandit and Shadow have wanted to see each other for a long time now, at least a few months at that! This isn't about me or you or anything else Griffin. It's for both of them alright."<br>"… Fine."  
>"And stop changing your PokeNav's cell-number, it took me forever to get you one and you don't even use it."<br>"Goodbye Logan." Griffin hung up and went back upstairs.  
><em>There are a few things I'm going to show that jerk.<em> Griffin stared at Bandit who was almost asleep on his bed  
>"Hey mutt." She snarled at him, he simply batted an eye to eye "Apparently Logan's sending Shadow over for a bit." She quieted down and looked at him with a sharp threat in her eyes. "Can you please not give me too much headache tomorrow?" Softly he petted her head. Griffin watched her fangs pierce pass her muzzle. "What happened to the Bandit I knew?" He stopped, threw down a sleeping bag on the floor and looked above him. The moon had just passed full not a single cloud in the sky anymore and nothing but moonlight broke pass the window-pane. Griffin closed his eyes; watched as Moonlight curled around his chest and finally went to sleep.<p>

End


	6. Chapter 6

Luna and Thief Ch. 6: Better Days.

It rained all through the morning. Griffin was awake by six again looked deep into the rain splatter against the window pane before leaving the room. He took a deep sigh and walked downstairs. Leaving everyone back in the room - the place they found was just at the outskirts of town - Griffin went for a walk a long one. When he found himself looking towards a row of trees that quickly turned into a maze of them he sat down and looked up to the rain, Alone.  
>Back at the motel room everyone was still asleep. Everyone except one that watched Griffin leave a little more than an hour ago. Bandit had weird dreams that night, memories to be exact. She couldn't tell why she would remember something so old all she knew was that something was amiss. Bandit got up - although she really didn't want to – and suddenly found she was tracking Griffin's scent<br>"What have we here?" Griffin stood up towards two people, both older than him. Both of them were wearing black uniforms, he hadn't seen or heard of anything like them "Pretty stupid for a kid to be out here at this time." The man gave a smile, a small dark smile  
>"Who are you?" Griffin was standing now watching the man chuckle<br>"I guess we haven't introduced ourselves, not like we'd be stupid enough to a punk-kid like you."  
>"Who you calling a punk? Freak!" Griffin barked back "Anyways, what kind of cliché outfit is that? Only a desperate loser would wear those rags." Griffin watched as veins started to show from the man<br>"You wanna keep talking!?" He pulled out a Pokéball. "Screw it I'll just take your stuff!"  
>"Try it." Griffin went to reach for a Pokéball when his world suddenly shattered. <em>I… Forgot my Pokémon again…<em> The man threw the ball down  
>"I'll show you punk!" From the silhouette came a sleek silver figure. Griffin looked at the scythe-tail and immediately knew what it was. An Absol Griffin bit his lip and cursed himself. His eyes were captivated by a shock-collar in the next instant. They were forcing the Absol and immediately Griffin knew it was stolen. "Well come on Absol!" He pressed a button, it sent the Pokémon to the ground "Use Hyperbeam."<br>"Stop that!" Griffin protested and watched the Absol quiver back up  
>"And what would a punk like you do?" Griffin didn't have anything to fight with. He watched the Absol charge up the beam the energy began piling from its muzzle. He took up a defensive stance<br>"Now what could would that do you idiot!?" The man pressed the button again, the Absol's entire body quaked from the current being forced into it. The next moment came a flash of blinding color but when Griffin opened his eyes, he was unscathed. He looked down to notice a black tuft of smoke… Bandit took the hit  
>"B – Bandit?" Griffin could feel the intent grow. The forest was still a cold wind chilled through the dry-rain and kept the audience in wait. Bandit gave a sharp snarl and began charging up her own. Griffin heard snarling and only began wishing to know what they said<p>

"If you want to see what true power is Disaster." She snapped to the Absol "You've got that wish." From small gouts of light came an unprecedented force of energy destroying not only the floor of the forest, but a pocket of trees almost fifty feet ahead of her. Griffin fell back from the sudden blast. The blast-back of energy launched him off of his feet  
><em>Logan told me never to let her use Hyperbeam.<em> Griffin looked around for the Absol, it took only a skim of the attack and that still launched it back. Smolders and ambers grew from the sudden scorch and began lighting flames into the trees before the rain killed them off  
>"Let's get the hell out of here!" Whoever they were ran off, far off. Griffin hardly saw which direction they went in only knew that they were getting further away. They left the Absol behind, Griffin ran to its side.<br>_I need to get this collar off._ He pulled out a small multi-tool only to get a brutally painful shock when he tried to pull it off. The shock burned his hand but that didn't stop Bandit from her bite. She viciously began clamping against the collar-vice, shredding deep into the metal regardless of the shock. Before no-time the entire collar was a clump of scrap on the forest floor. Griffin picked up the Absol and from there it was a straight run to the Pokémon Center.

"Yeah I'm here to pick up a Pokémon." Brad asked Nurse Joy about this Mightyena that came in that morning. He read the note that Griffin left him when he finally woke up  
>"Yes it just came in ten minutes ago." Nurse Joy began. "Can I please see your I.D to confirm?"<br>"Uhhh well you see I'm a friend of Griffins an-"  
>"No I.D No Pokéball." Brad walked away<br>"This is just great Aura." Aura looked down the road before she tugged at Brad's hand. "What's wrong?" He looked down the road low and behold Griffin was running this way. Brad looked to Griffin's Vulpix she was the only Pokémon he didn't have a Pokéball for. "Finally I ju" Griffin ran **by** him without a second thought and into the center. For a moment, Brad waited with a blank face and then ran in the center with him. Outside people were pooling around the middle of the town, watching the smoke rise from deeper within the woods before an Officer came by to cool down the crowd.  
>"I need this Pokémon healed immediately."<br>"Is this yours, where did these lashes come from!?"  
>"I ran into some trouble."<br>"Trouble?" A police officer made Griffin jump  
>"Somebody attacked me outside of the city, some people in black uniforms." Griffin looked back to Nurse Joy. "Please help this Pokémon! I mean when I had to fight it they had a shock-collar on it and everything!"<br>"Someone is forcing Pokémon to fight?"  
>"Yes." Griffin was almost pleading. "Just help please!" The officer was a tall women, she had a Growlithe of her own at her side<br>"Do you know what way they went?" She inquired while Griffin gave a hard-confused look  
>"The two of them scattered after my Mightyena showed up." Griffin exclaimed, starting to flush when the officer brought her face to his<br>"They ran off? Then what was all that smoke?" Griffin nervously chuckled watching her eyes read every movements he made. He tried his best to explain it but there really wasn't much to explain other then everything he knew about Bandit, but he wasn't about to bore her with those facts.

Luna sat in the bustle of the crowd she got tired of waiting while Griffin tried to explain to the officer, her nametag read Jenny but Griffin still hadn't noticed it. Luna looked to the rolling clouds her eyes captivated by the deep endless-blue sea before the sun broke the clouds once more, blinding light shone from above. The rain was already fading but her feelings weren't. She dreamed that night about a place, a wonderful-beautiful place where she felt the presence of friends and family, where the wind would softly call and at times happily cry the words 'I'm home' in the night, where the sea rolled soft waves on a golden-sandy beach and there was always a wisp of white fur in the air; the eyes soft, loving, always they followed her. She closed her eyes the morning wind lifted through her nose the scents of pine, and she felt a lift in her hair. The wind gently swayed in her fur, a colder wind shot a breeze through the noise of the crowd she breathed, feeling a soft flow of flame swirl around her before the crowd took eye. The soft tail shrouded along her back and cased softly around her, twirling in gentle circles before fading. Luna wanted the silence, for just a moment so she could hear that sound again; the sound of the ocean waves, the leaves rustle in the wind, the soft breath. A tone so gentle that rang in her ear, the tiny three words that meant so much to her. '**I love you**'  
>Luna held her eyes because she knew it was true. Thief looked back at her, confused asking what she had said before she walked off, following along a fence and into the forest for a walk.<p>

Before Griffin had the chance – after finally sorting everything out – Bandit whipped the black and red Pokéball from his hand and put it to the floor. It opened and she sat down, Griffin could almost see her smile – the best that a Mightyena could. Shadow was smaller, sleek and gave a gentle wave through his fur that screamed 'Friendship' Griffin chuckled, holding most of it in when he watched Bandit pounce on top of Shadow. Griffin felt himself smile it was uncontrolled, he hadn't seen Bandit act happy – loving, in so long that he wanted to cry. He wanted to feel the memories, and for a moment he remembered the cloudy day after-school. The larger kids picking on him, shoving him to the floor Griffin smiled that morning he found the Poochyena in the city, an alleyway near his school – he was usually late – but that day he had a reason, a **real** reason. It tended to rain a lot in the night and with such a small stray, Griffin couldn't stop but take off his jacket. It was his favorite jacket, white and brown zip-up, not a terrible sweater or hoodie just a jacket, and he put it over the puppy. She was asleep; freezing and cold but asleep. Griffin took out his lunch and left half there before running to school only to get looks from **everyone** when he walked in so late. Griffin had to sit down and struggle through another day he was the first to get called to answer questions and always the last to get them right. He got even the simplest of questions wrong and spent most of the day looking to the window, watching birds sing their heart out and wonder and dream 'how is life like for a Pokémon?' It wasn't until the end of the day that he understood a bit of the answer. That was where, when walking home the seniors of his class would taunt him and tease him. Make him feel worthless and foolish only to get hit and pushed around when he asked them to stop. That day he met a **real friend** when he was put between old wire fences and all of them she found him and stood up **for** him.  
><em>Because of that….<em> Griffin felt his eyes beginning to water _I wanted to be her friend forever, no matter how poorly she treats me now_  
>"Hey Griiiifffffiiiiiin" Brad clicked his fingers, finally catching his attention. He almost forgot about Brad entirely "Are we going to the gym yet? This waiting is killing me!"<br>"Y – Yeah sure." Griffin looked around, watching Bandit nuzzle under Shadow's chin when he took a look back to Brad  
>"Where's Moonlight and Thief?"<p>

Luna looked past the gnarl of roots and trees she was running although she couldn't tell why. Her face was beyond flushed and she could only pray that Thief didn't notice it at all.  
><em>What am I talking about!? <em>She hardly felt her paws touch the floor it took her much too long to realize that she could smell salt in the air, she couldn't tell how far off it was but she knew if she just kept going north. It was to the left of her she saw the reflection of water and when she looked ahead it broke into the vast sea, the sun casted a ripple of gold that burned into amber when she looked to it. Clouds rolled above her the sun was past the point of mid-day and she found herself sitting, watching the vast unimaginable sea. There was no land, only the horizon which waves crashed below the cliff-side when there was a soft rustle. Thief actually caught up to her  
>"Wait…" He panted hard, coughing in exhaustion. Luna felt her cheeks flush<br>"What did you say? You're leaving? Where!?" _So he didn't hear me…_ Luna looked to the sea and back to Thief with a smile  
>"I wanted to see this." She gave a coo, looking at him crumple to the floor before giggling. He simply blew his head-fur from his eyes and lied down watching the sun dare to set. She felt her paw slide forward Luna felt her blood rise when she rested it on his it was then that a face flashed in her. His face, his infectious smile and laugh. The way he loved to roll in the sand and look at the sun light-up the leaves in the morning mist, or how he always hid his face when someone noticed his ears only to watch them apologize and introduce themselves. That beautiful place where the tree's always singed and the waves always danced and the clouds were as white and comfy as sitting around a gentle fire, the smoke wisps in the night with gentle shapes that made Luna wonder and guess only to hear… Him reply. Her eyes began to tear, just for a moment before she felt something touch her nose. It was small and a little wet, it rubbed against hers and almost made her cringe from the light tickle; she always loved that feeling whenever her nose rubbed against someone else, but here she was taken by surprise. She blushed when the butterflies fluttered all through her stomach and her heart suddenly have a spring in its beat. She felt the warmth blaze through her body, her head to her paws, she felt it burn. This special flame that she almost always felt a sun-down that special feeling she gets whenever Thief looked to her.<br>CRACK  
>Thief broke the kiss and almost sprung to his feet from the shade of the forest came a purple thread much like a fine hair. Luna stared at it for a moment before she dared to look around at the face of a Persian it growled violently and suddenly her eyes widened to a shift. It turned itself into a Suicune<br>"W – Who are you?" Thief forced a snarl before he was shut out by the charge from within it. Luna knew it in an instant, but the power was surreal; the Copy-Suicune was using Aurora Beam, but the focus created a ring of color around it. The earth seemed to shift when the shot rang out, the last thing Luna saw with her shaking-wide eyes was Thief jump in front of her and the sudden flash from a smaller ringed beam. In front of Thief was Moonlight his jewel shone a deep pink as his eyes glossed over from the power that he gathered. A single cry rang out  
>"Stop this!" Moonlight launched a <strong>Second<strong> Psybeam and began twisting it in with the first.  
><em>If he continues on like that<em> Luna felt her eyes widen more _He could_…_ he could cause more damage to himself than when I did at Pewter city._ Thief was shaking frozen in place only to watch the blinding light from the two beams clash nearby the cliff-side of the sea. Luna forced herself up.  
><em>Move.<em> She screamed to herself but hardly heard her voice. _MOVE!_ She demanded it again but her body wouldn't listen the light blinded them and a force pushed them off, far off. When Luna opened her eyes, she was plummeting face down into water and heard a deafening splash and felt pain that dug further into her chest then she ever thought possible.

Griffin gave up the search; the sun was just on the verge of setting when a faint sound rose from far near the mountains.  
>Boom…<br>Aura looked to the mountains while Griffin and Brad looked down. "Everything's shaking?" Before another crowd of people could even dare to form outside, Officer Jenny was already outside  
>"There! The smoke?" Griffin looked too, his eyes widened<br>"There's a fire!" Brad called, watching the black plumes rage deep from the woods  
>"This is Cerulean City, we live with water. That fire isn't reaching far." It was a fairly young voice, Brad and Griffin turned to see two girls around the age of nineteen or twenty. One was blonde, but the other had blue hair. "Do you trainers have any water Pokémon?" A commotion came from behind before Griffin could answer, the Absol from before stopped behind him. Nurse Joy was running down the road to catch up<br>"He… Ran out when the smoke…" She put her hands on her knees small daps of sweat fell from her face. Griffin pulled out a Pokéball and let Marill out  
>"I don't know much about water types but I'll try and help." A brush made Griffin turn around, the Absol it looked like a dance. Soon Griffin felt a clap and rain fell, hard. The patter sounded like running water and it only grew <strong>larger<strong>. The clouds turned black as the smoke and they covered the sky above them. The fire was already there, as if it only spread in a single direction, towards them. Astonished by the spread of the fire – the rain hardly had much effect on it – The two girls sent out two Pokémon of their own, Griffin turned to Officer Jenny who suddenly came running back.  
>"Sorry, I went to contact a friend for a quick transfer." She pulled out a Pokéball. "Go Blastoise!" Griffin was stunned he had never seen one before except on a television screen. "We have to stop the fire before it spreads to the city!" Blastoise nodded, before Griffin knew it there was even <strong>more water<strong> than before! For once, Griffin actually used his Pokédex  
>"Blastoise, a Shellfish Pokémon. The final evolved form of Squirtle and is capable of creating virtually unstoppable attacks from the Hydro Cannons on its back…" It cut out Griffin shook it "Would you like to hear your brother's notes?"<br>_Notes? Wait how can he do that?_ Griffin remembered that Logan gave him his Pokédex to start, that was after he became a champion. Logan also gave him the PokéNav later on and it all started to click. _Figures, he's always trying to get the better of me._ Griffin turned off the Pokédex and turned to the plumes. Somehow the fire **still** wouldn't die out it crackled around the trees and whipped branches off of them.  
>"This is turning into a real problem." Griffin watched his Marill tirelessly use Water-gun again and again the Blastoise was pumping out water by the litre, both of them were holding the flames at bay. The two girls were using their own to bat the flames down.<br>_Thief, Moonlight. Where are you?_

"Grab onto that!" Moonlight was pawing the water around Luna she couldn't feel her paws or anything for that matter. Moonlight had been biting down to keep her from going under, Thief swam fine but was choking out salt-water all the same. Luna bit down into a decent piece of driftwood; the clash between Moonlight and the Copy-cat caused a huge explosion that destroyed the trees around the cliff-side. Luna tiredly flopped onto the board, it strong enough to take her weight – barely – Thief clawed into his own, but from there they were traveling west!  
>"There's nothing!" Luna spat up water "But a mountain range all the way down!"<br>"The current passes by the Kanto region this time of year, going against it would be suicide." Moonlight crawled onto his own drift-wood. "The current is fairly strong, if we're lucky we can probably hit dry land by at least mid-day tomorrow!"  
>"Tomorrow!?" Luna cried "But there's nothing but salt-water and the sun." She forcefully swallowed down her words Luna suddenly knew that she was panicking<br>"It'll be hard to sleep." Thief brought up "And there isn't any food either Moonlight." Luna watched his eyes tear up. "And what about Griffin when are we going to see him again!?"  
>"It's alright Thief!" Moonlight called back, the cliff-side was treacherous there was no way they could climb back up, not to mention they almost couldn't see it to begin with. "We will find him again we just need to stick together, all of us!" Moonlight watched as dark clouds suddenly formed in the sky<br>"What's happening know?" Luna whispered when she saw a huge flash of light hit a tree farther off - it was standing one moment and then gone the next - she felt like crying, she felt entirely hopeless. Water picked at the side of her board the waves became violent from the storm that gathered overhead them. The only thing Luna felt happy for, the only thing she could think about was that they were at least close together  
>"Everyone! Join paws! If you get separated now god knows what would happen!" Moonlight nipped Thief's tail and drew him back before he could protest he was looking straight into Luna's eyes. "Luna, hold our tails together!" Moonlight called to her and she did it in a flash. Surprisingly enough, Moonlight had a tight hold when his tail was wrapped, but Luna almost gasped when the waves began parting her from Thief. Without warning, he leaned over and held her by the scruff to keep them together<br>"S- Sorry Luna." Thief managed with a muzzle-full of fur she really couldn't protest at that moment when the waves crashed around them  
>"I hope we find land soon." Luna whined. "I absolutely hate water!" She wasn't in the most comfortable spots either; any lower her nose would've been skimming the water!<br>_There goes that special feeling._ The wind was starting to chill Luna could feel it in her fur. Night hit. Without warmth and nothing but water, Luna began shivering just thinking about it  
>"If we're really lucky." The driftwood was making small circles as the traveled down-current the mainland was already a small dot in her watery eyes. "The moon may just calm down the waves, it'll give us a clear opening to maybe talk to some ocean Pokémon."<br>"O - Ocean Pokémon!?" Luna started to feel the panic rise again, the idea of being **attacked** raced through her mind. In a period later she felt a small lick that made her blush softly before looking to Thief, she couldn't tell herself from a harsh look or a startled one.  
>"S- Sorry, I guess it's getting a little uncomfortable." Thief stated, trying to loosen his grip. He wasn't all too comfortable with being stuck in the middle of the ocean either and that only let little marks form on the back of Luna's neck. They couldn't tell how long they were out there for already, but it was a full moon that night, just at that period where it would start waning. It was a huge beautiful crystal, not only in the sky but in the sea as well. The wavy picture let the water look black around it a mysterious but calming abyss fanned all around them now. Luna could just barely make out the cliff-side from before and that made her feel sea-sick. The ocean wind was soothing but cold, if it wasn't for Thief and Moonlight she would've froze that night.<p>

End


	7. Chapter 7

Luna and Thief Ch. 7 Fuzzy lights

All through the night Luna shivered. The cold waves dared to reach up and take her in their icy claws before she would snap awake and realize her nose was just touching the water, and do her best to look up. The moon was setting, if that made any sense to begin with, Luna watched the night grow even darker. She felt a sneeze _Great, now I'm getting a cold._ She wanted to shake the water off her pelt, feel dry land rather than her legs shaking to keep her afloat on a breaking shard of drift-wood. She was happy that the board was thick, light enough to float – it was like a tiny raft - for her at least. Luna looked left and right it felt like a weird shift in the water, Moonlights tail released hers. "Moonlight!" He slumped into the water, ending in a crash that jolted Thief awake._ I knew it, all the power he used caught up to him. _Luna was cursing herself, why didn't she keep paying attention to him!? There was another splash of water, Thief jumped in after him. Under the shroud of the night Luna waited, watching the rings of the water ripple by. Luna waited for hardly a second more before jumping in too; Luna could hardly swim but she needed to help somehow! Thief couldn't carry Moonlight on his own. Luna cautiously treaded the water she wanted to panic but swallowed it down; to the left of her the water broke a bit in the distance. She pawed over to them, watching Thief force Moonlights head above water – barely – before diving down to help them up. She bit Moonlight's scruff, forcing him up along with Thief. _Now what?! Without the drift-wood we're going to drown out here!_ Luna could hardly keep her head above water let alone Moonlight's. Thief barked something, Luna couldn't hear it but instead she heard the water drowning around her ears. She was coughing up water again – Luna was going under the sea – She started to flail, trying desperately to keep above water before being drawn into the dark abyss. Thief was crying and roaring at the water – he couldn't keep Moonlight afloat with him for long before the Espeon slipped into the water himself. Thief dove in further to try for her but Luna was already slipping further into the ocean, leaving nothing.  
>Opening her eyes for one moment she looked at the stars that fanned far above her, just beyond the cracked waves was <strong>her<strong> horizon. Tears stung her eyes the pressure tightened in her chest – she couldn't hold out much longer – she had too and she did; she breathed in. It wasn't water she was choking on, it was air. She looked around her only to see a white-line waver _This… This is Physic abilities._ Luna dared to look up Moonlight was clearly unconscious. _Who… Who else is there? Who else could create a shield like this?_ Luna watched as Thief dove under the water just catching Moonlight by his neck before breaking the surface again. Thief was straining now trying his best to keep Moonlight afloat when Luna felt a presence again. The white cage around her was lifting up unfurling on the surface where Thief stopped and stood up  
>"L – Luna?" A small hum sounded far in the distance but rippled through the water, the song was gentle and haunting. Luna looked around but there was nothing to see<br>"Did you hear that?" Luna whispered when in all the moment the floor was gone  
>"Luna! Thief!" Moonlight casted a shield down, he woke up to both their surprise where they landed hard against the newly bed floor. Luna watched intently. It swirled like a gentle purple mirror against the water, nothing like what she saw before. Gently, ever so gently Luna collapsed against it – she was exhausted and cold<br>"Luna?" Thief began  
>"Land!" Moonlight perked up, they all did when the word was yelled.<p>

Griffin stretched in the morning he was dead tired and upset about the other night. He hardly slept because he was too busy looking for Thief and Moonlight. Griff spent the night looking all over the city and then he spent all the way into day-break looking through the forest surrounding. All he found at the end was the ocean, it was clear and gentle in the sun's light where hardly a cloud touched the sky. He fell to his knees, his hands clawed at the dirt when tears stung his eyes "Thief, Moonlight." He wanted to cry… after-all Thief was _his,_ it was his _first_ the one he really caught by himself. Thief was his **hope**. Griffin felt himself bite his lip before he stood back up "Thief!" He called out nearby the sea hoping that somewhere, wherever his Growlithe was, he would someday make it back home to him. Griffin looked back to the rubble - the fire **did** follow in a perfect line to the city, and Griffin was dumbfounded. He clenched his fist it sat by his side before he threw it to the sun and called out to whoever would listen. "I'll find you all!" He felt his fingers dig into his hand "and I don't care about what I have to do to find you!"  
>"Wow…" Griffin turned with a face so red the sea could reflect it. It was one of the girls from before "Do you always just monologue like this?"<br>"Well I…" He couldn't hide the five shades that layered his cheeks. There in silence, she was young - but at least two years older – with red-amber hair and gentle unbroken eyes.  
>"Brad's been wondering where you ran off to, we all needed to start a search just to find you!" Griffin looked out to the sea, a calm wave crashed against the wall. Wingulls passed a cry above; rare to see them flying in Kanto. It was a gentle morning the wind pressed against the trees with a sway so gentle, songs could almost be made from the leaves<br>"Is that?" Griffin reached into his pocket, walking over to the cliff-side ad pulling out a yellow bandana. It was a gift he gave to Thief, but Thief almost always gave it back at the end of the days he wore it. When Griffin was younger he never took the Bandana off, not ever since his father gave it to him as a gift  
>"Griffin?" He pulled out a patch of fur, it was caught right at the edge of the cliff, the bandana Griffin held onto was covered in the same color hairs that he picked out.<br>"Where does this current go?" He began, looking out to the rolling water; the Wingulls still flying softly above with a cry so tender he could be lulled to sleep by it.  
>"It switches all through the year, right now it may be going near the Johto region. This current tends to back all around Kanto, I've even heard rumors that it can even reach Sinnoh and go as far as Hoenn."<br>"Alright." Griffin looked back to the fur, orange to white. He knew he knew for a fact that it was Thief's.  
>He knew it for sure.<p>

Thief was falling in about as much love as Luna was.  
>They both were kissing the ground and crying about how they'd never leave it again, Moonlight shook off his pelt, sea-water swung all around landing in tender drops. Like Moonlight said, they finally hit land at dawn. The sea-air swung in gentle blows across the main-land, tenderly quarreling the leaves in the sky where Luna watched most of them fall to the earth around them. Soft air began to breeze below carrying what looked to be a row of flower petals from the woods. A gradual slope stood before them, the trees were tall and Luna looked all around the small beach, other than their own paw-prints it looked as if it was untouched for months. Something blue shimmered in the morning dew<br>"Look a berry bush!" Luna happily trotted over, they were Oran Berries – common all over – but none of them cared, they were all starving! The beach was eerie and quiet, Luna lazily rolled over with a belly full of berries to watch the clouds swim by. Moonlight stretched, his yawning caught her attention  
>"Well I don't know exactly where we are." He dragged Thief over to her "But it does look like Johto, that current runs pretty fast so we could be stuck right in the middle of it."<br>"Are we going to get home?" Thief whispered  
>"Not yet… And Pokémon rules say that trainers can't just travel from region to region without special permission. It'll be a while before Griffin gets here, but I say we should try and meet Griffin in the middle."<br>"Why can't we just get back into Kanto?" Luna asked  
>"Because with the championships going on we'd be crossing paths with hundreds of trainers, it's almost the end of the year so they're bound to run it really soon." Moonlight sighed softly "We can't stay here though, our best bet to find more food would be in a city, and we also can get a much safer place to sleep too."<br>"But where are we going to find a city? We hardly know where we are!" Luna started but Moonlight tenderly coo'd  
>"We're simply going to go for a walk and find a trail. After we'll just follow along until we find a sign and we'll go to the nearest town or city." Under the soft shade of an elder tree Luna nodded her head trotting between the leaves and tall stalks that sprung from the earth, hearing a wind bellow in the trees almost to swear her name within the airy green. Thief bumped into her side and muttered a sorry in response Luna could feel his voice - the gentle tremble - he was worried and she knew that he may have been scared too. Moonlight stalked from behind to delicately focus on every branch and twig, as if to expect something… Twenty minutes passed at least Luna believed it to have been, an hour possibly passed by in place – not a single trail was clearly birthed within the tall grass- Running fingers through the leaves the sun beamed brightly against Luna's pelt she could feel her inner fire grow deep within her, a blaze of amber – maybe pink… when she closed her eyes - she was happy and childishly hopped over roots and mossy patches; Thief followed much the same further ahead<br>"Hey Luna! Let's race!" Thief took off before she could even speak he was high energy after-all. His yellow-orange belt darted from the bushes and the tree branches before a gentle *THUMP*  
>"Hey a Growlithe!" Luna paused in sudden mark – Thief found the route after-all. The trainer whipped out a Pokéball, Luna saw a target and spewed a hollow of flame from the woods. It was spot on as she darted out right after, snarling at a tall man in a gray tilly-hat "Another fight… Why can't they just sit there?" He slammed another capsule down "Go Zangoose! Use Crush Claw!" The tall white and red creature slammed a claw at Thief, Luna caught in with a quick attack – the trainer didn't notice that <strong>she<strong> was the one to deflect the Pokéball – but he **did** notice the Vulpix head-butt the Zangoose clean; it was a decent blow – enough to stumble him back.  
>"L – Luna!" Thief cried from behind her she felt a trickle run down her face. Her head was bleeding she really couldn't tell from where; all she knew was that her eyes narrowed in, her world was in perfect focus. One false move and they may never see Griffin again, that reality hit her hard it was what Thief wanted – what he <strong>needed<strong>. She took up a stance, passing a sharp growl – almost like a roar before Griffin copied her. He was only about five times as loud the sound blaring in her ears.  
><em>His roar is… amazing<em> Luna felt the twinkle in her eye his fire may not be near hers but his voice was beyond it, willing to stand and take such pride; his chest puffed out like a morning bird singing to the rising sun. She never felt hot… not like that before, her heart seemed to race: before she chuckled and took stance growling at the Zangoose  
>"You or any other trainer isn't stopping us! We're all going back home!" Luna felt the pride herself it seemed to rub off of Thief and shake her to the core. Her mind raced pointless thoughts but one came to her view<br>_It may be too early… but…_  
>Memories of the days rolled by she hardly <em>knew<em> Griffin, never trusted a trainer as far as she could throw them (not that she could throw them far; humans are HUGE) A smile came on one that didn't want to fade, like a love-struck grin or the thought of a joke  
><em>I want Griffin to be <em>_**my**__ trainer… no._  
>She watched the Zangoose take stance again pointless words touched the air.<br>_I want him to be a __**friend.**_ The Vulpix shook her head; the pain still beat it like a drum. The fire – a passion burned in her chest. She hardly paid attention to Moonlight he eyed her, stared at her with this look. Like…  
>Like he'd just seen an old friend for the first time in a very, very long time.<p>

-

Under the hazy glaze of the mid-day sun – obscured by curious leaves that fell as the arriving sign of winter; she lay, curled around her lover. Equals by will, together by spirit; Bandit and Shadow watched the clouds roll by. Griffin was gone for the morning - ever since the fire stopped nobody saw much of him at all. So they seemed to wait, Bandit, she really couldn't act to care. Shadow was worried about him; he was anxious to see Thief again (They met only once before) and wanted to be able to talk with him; even help train him  
>"You know…" Shadow started and rested his head against her chest<br>"What?" Her voice was soft; tender unlike the hoarse cold tone she generally carried out, it was the little things that Shadow loved about her. The twinkle in her eye when she seemed to be the center of attention, her undying passion and determination; in short Shadow almost idolized her, she was the alpha – stronger, faster, and smarter. The day he finally won (the way to her was through a fight) she finally noticed him, appreciated him when he could protect Logan and even started to care when he tried to get her attention. Although he couldn't stop that dark little thought, stabbing him like a pin-needle. 'What if I wasn't her first choice?'  
>"We never… really got around about…" Shadow cut himself off watching the leaves fall above them. Around them, in a little field outside Cerulean City the air was quiet – not a stir or a sound came.<br>"What?" She repeated the question, her tone already changed back; serious, unrelaxed.  
>"Well about… Having a family… Of our own." Logan always joked about television said that those cheesy roles - where the guy wants to give the 'girl of his dreams' a ring when they first meet and wants to spend his life with her. He always said it was 'Hollywood stereotypes' that ruined a good relationship; where the guy is perfect: strong, smart, funny and confident all the same, even though his character is supposed to be a guy who isn't. And where the girl is just as perfect: Beautiful and willing; a tad shy – but not enough to keep her down. That desire and determination, not to mention smiling and happy almost all the time; Shadow would sit down by a TV (Or a 'Talking Box' as he used to call them) and dream and wonder and even try some of the elaborate schemes to get Bandit to notice him. Not like any of it worked often, she'd sneer and walk away or recoil 'What are you doing you idiot!?' He was lost and it really wasn't until they were split apart that he began to notice<br>that someone as wonderful, beautiful, and simply _perfect_ could notice **him**. He'd begin to smile and laugh and not let a single thing really worry him. But… She never (Not like any character on TV) ever talked about having puppies of her own. She'd never even think about it – Shadow believed that. Whenever she'd smile his heart would sigh, so he'd try to do everything to make her smile. But here, here she gave a look – not much emotion but a red line burrowing into her cheeks. A clear sign she never thought much of it before  
>"Well… I can't say that I haven't" She pawed at the earth – Bandit only did thing like that when she was nervous, and she was <em>never<em> nervous.  
>Shadow felt his 'rational mind' shatter with that<br>"Y – You have?" Was all he could squeeze out before she looked at him – stern, maybe embarrassed  
>"Yes I have!" Shadow almost flinched but she simply looked back down to the ground, watching the grove she dug in the soil. "I just haven't… well I don't really know when a good time is…" She started nodding her head left and right – trying to make sense he figured. "We're both busy training, and I'm stuck with Logan's nit-wit brother." Bandit sighed and put her head to the grass. "I never actually thought Logan would be the kind of guy to try and keep his champion status, and then he started researching Pokémon and studying them and talking to scientists about new Pokédex models and types he designed." Shadow rested his head on the back of her neck, his muzzle brushed against her ear. He couldn't tell what she did; a sigh or a shiver? He didn't know. His face was burning red – he hardly understood <em>why<em>. "It's… things like this I want." She whispered, more to herself then anything. "Time alone, just to relax and talk and-"  
>Shadow didn't know what he really did, or why, or how even. He simply did<br>He gave her a kiss.  
>They never did things like that often: being together, staying together, and loving each other's company because Logan was unknowingly between them. Hardly knew – the champion; a person so intent on studying Pokémon couldn't tell that two of his own was honestly<br>_in love with one another._  
>The sway in the breeze caressed away the heat – it was only for a moment where Shadow pushed his nose against hers, looking into her eyes. Calm. That was the very definition of them: gentle, soft, tender, warm, loving, <em>hers.<em> That was what he saw, her, and in that little twinkle hidden deep within her eyes he swore that he saw a little of himself too. A coo touched the earth, the wind, and the sky. It came from him; the gentle little voice that echoed in her ear. He watched it twitch, her face turn beyond red his copied like a photograph. Three little words was all it really took.

Panting under the sun, was it sweat? No blood? Luna couldn't tell but the trainer was long gone, returning his Zangoose and running off into the woods after Moonlight helped her out a bit. Three-on-one didn't seem all that fair but in the wild there are no rules  
><em>right?<em>  
>It was a route Thief found, about a single-lane street size with twigs and sticks and roots that gnarled and knotted the dirt of the surface.<br>"Hey! I found a sign!" Thief called from further ahead a big wooden arrow-like post, cracked, old with the big number *34* still legible on the surface.  
>"34?" Moonlight perked up, his tails swirling around him. "…If we keep going north we'll end up in Goldenrod City, after that we can try going East and head for Kanto. We just need to find a way past the mountain then… but we need to do it quick – before the champion-ships start<br>"How long is the walk to the mountain?" Luna tilted her head watching Moonlight frown – she was starting to hate frowns  
>"Maybe three weeks by foot…" He shook his head. "Let's go to Goldenrod and find a place to stay. We can get food and be warmer and even safer in the city. Just don't bother the trainers and they won't bother us." He smiled "See that number underneath that sign?" Both Luna and Thief looked hard under the number *34* a smaller second one was etched under it. *2*<br>"It says two?" Thief tilted his head in confusion  
>"There's a second small one that says 48" Luna added<br>"That means that from this point – a checkpoint, it should only take about two days to Goldenrod." He smiled and began to walk; Luna and Thief followed before he stopped – rather abruptly. Luna's nose bumped into his backside leaving her to sneeze and rub caringly  
>"Moonlight?" They both asked watching his face turn into a smile – as if he remembered a joke<br>"The… Magnet Train…" Moonlight was laughing by that point and booked off leaving them in a cloud of dust  
>"What!?" They followed trailing behind him.<br>"What are you talking about!?" Luna called, praying her words could reach past the wind deafening her ears  
>"If the Magnet Train is running we can get back to Kanto in at least three days! It runs to Saffron City which is right next to Cerulean City!" He almost had tears in his eyes, Moonlight was <em>happy<em> and Thief was beyond it when he heard the words 'Three' and 'Days' Luna felt something hook onto her.  
>These two were really starting to grow on her.<br>So she ran; they all did deep into the afternoon to stop for a break and continue on well into the night. The moon was fading from its full majestic ring, just beginning to become a crescent when they set up camp. Luna – exhausted nestled down in a bed of long grass where Thief hardly asked and cuddled with her – already asleep. Moonlight was already starting to drift a smile on his face so Luna put her head down and watched the stars and a few clouds that lagged on in the night thinking.  
><em>That her prayers, her wishes and the things she cared about seemed to be coming true.<em>

_End_


	8. Chapter 8

Luna and Thief Ch: 8 … Dreams

Mist.  
>The morning dew was near frozen by now leaving it everywhere. A shroud of white-grey it was there, by the road bellowing in the sky and covering all around her. Luna was the first to wake up cold, near frozen in truth. She looked left and she looked right – both of them, Moonlight and Thief, were still asleep in the early morning before she stirred and stretched. She stood and looked up hardly able to see the sun or the sky through the thick fog before she woke up Moonlight and Thief<br>"What?" Thief was groggy and yawned and shivered in the morning. "It's freezing out here…"  
>"You're one to talk…" Moonlight stretched and yawned too, before he shook his pelt off. Frost stuck to his fur. "I guess it got colder than I thought it would."<br>"We should go to this… Magnet train?" Luna started to say while she helped Thief up  
>"Yes if we're going to make it to Saffron in time to catch Griffin." Moonlight was standing, looking hard at the edge of the forest. "I just hope we can get there before something catches us." Thief turned his head<br>"I… I don't think I heard that right…" Thief whined softly  
>"Come on, Goldenrod is so close!" Moonlight was about to run before Luna cut him off<br>"I think we should at least find some food first." Luna started and gave him a smile "All this running has probably made all of us hungry, we are going to need something in our stomachs if we're going to find Griffin in Saffron City." He sighed in reply  
>"Alright. Sorry I've been so excited to get back that I've forgotten about that stuff." Moonlight laughed, they all did. "Come on, I bet there is a berry bush nearby."<br>Thief, Luna, and Moonlight all started down the road. It was more of a jog then a walk but Luna knew that they couldn't help it.  
><em>I still can't believe these two sometimes… they can just hold onto Griffin.<em> With those words she felt deep in her heart that it was what **she** wanted and for the whole walk they had, the signs saying that they were getting closer and closer, Luna found herself lost in her thoughts.

Griffin was awake by that morning he didn't eat much the night before because he was worried. It wasn't just about the Absol he now had (the poor thing was limping from time to time) Or the fact that Shadow and Bandit were back together again, all of it revolved around The Vulpix, Thief, and Moonlight. Questions would race through his head again and again, he had placed a *Lost Pokémon* request to the police (he almost begged them to help.) They said they would call if they found any information  
>"Hey Griff." Brad waved to him, standing outside next to Aura. The Lucario waved herself and gave a smile that only faded away. Griffin's aura wasn't all too bright that morning. "You know what? Let's go get a pizza."<br>"A pizza?" Griffin felt a smile coming on  
>"Yeah. I mean you didn't really eat yesterday so I figure why not? I'll buy."<br>"Well I have to look for-"  
>"They are going to be fine, I've only been with you for like three days now? I've never seen somebody so attached to they're Pokémon before, if anything I bet that they would be trying they're very best to get back… wherever they are."<br>"It might sound a bit crazy… but I think they might be in the Johto region."  
>"Johto?" Brad gave him a stare "Why Johto? That's like a week away."<br>"Walking…"  
>"What did they fly there?" Brad chuckled, it was nervous. "I bet they are just a little bit ahead of us. Let's get some food, beat this gym, and get to Saffron City... I've lost Aura before you know…."<br>"You have?" Griffin looked to Brad as if he was a new light  
>"I have Griffin." He chuckled. "I got lost in a forest one day and slipped down a bad spot, Aura and I got separated. After a good few hours I found the main trail again and searched <em>everywhere<em> for her."  
>"Really?" Griffin chuckled himself<br>"Yeah, and believe me being alone in a forest with only wild Pokémon is terrifying, 'specially at night." Brad looked to the cement. "Once I finally accepted the fact that I couldn't find her there I went ahead and ran into a place called Pallet Town, about a day away from the ocean, turns out that a young lady was kind enough to let Aura stay for the night."  
>"Really?" Griffin chuckled again, he believed every word<br>"Yeah, I ran into a professor at the edge of town and asked him if he had seen Aura. He said that a Lucario passed by and ended up around his friend's house. Really kind women… Delia I think, she said something about her son being a trainer too."  
>"So… You think they could be just up ahead waiting?" Griffin was smiling to himself, before Brad could say another word he was already up in spirits. "Let's do it!"<br>"G- Griffin wait!" Brad knew that he was going straight to the gym first  
>"What?"<br>"Just get something to eat first or you won't be thinking straight for the battle."  
>"Fine…" Griffin said and lagged alongside Brad. They walked for half-an-hour Griffin hardly knew what the time was to start. Cerulean City was fairly large and it only made Griffin imagine the size of Saffron<br>"So where did you grow up?" Brad started the conversation, Aura simply lagged behind the two of them  
>"Well." Griffin began. "I'm from Hoenn I lived in Lilycove city. Every summer I would stay with my grandparents in Littleroot with my older brother."<br>"Really Hoenn? How is Hoenn?"  
>"It's alright… So where are you from?"<br>"Me? Well I was born in Sinnoh, Hearthome City. In fact that's where I met Aura, right by the mountain originally."  
>"Wow is she your first Pokémon?"<br>"No, I used to be a bug trainer… In fact I had a Caterpie as my first Pokémon. It was rare enough to find one there."  
>"I've always wanted to train bug Pokémon myself!" Griffin said happily, by then they were already in the heart of the city. Brad pointed to the right<br>"I've heard a few good things about this place." He smiled to Griffin who eyed the shop. "They're like a mix of things most of it is the western stuff  
>"Alright cool, I'll bring my Pokémon out, I bet they're starving…" Griffin chuckled and took out five Pokeballs from his belt. "Absol, Bandit, Shadow, Pikachu and Marill." He whispered more to himself than he did to Brad, before they both walked in<br>"I guess you're not cooking breakfast today?" Brad joked, giving Griffin a playful push  
>"I have to save money somewhere!" Griffin chuckled back<p>

All six of the Pokémon had to wait outside, a sign in the window stated *No Pokémon inside premise*  
>"So do you lot usually get to wait for Pokefood?" Shadow chuckled<br>"Not really." Pikachu replied "In fact Griffin likes to cook a lot."  
>"Oh Griff cooks Pokefood?"<br>"No no, he doesn't really believe in Pokefood." Marill perked up and gave Shadow a smile  
>"Doesn't believe in Pokefood?" Shadow gave a confused look<br>"He usually makes food for everyone, human food." Bandit chortled before she took her attention to the Absol. It was a girl that was certain. She was staring into the window like a sick puppy, waiting for Griffin who was busy chatting with a cashier  
>"What's with her?" Shadow looked back himself<br>"Let's say she's a new addition to the party…"  
>"But I heard you and Griffin saved her." Pikachu started, Bandit narrowed her eyes down<br>"And I heard your name was Scarf." Pikachu frowned bitterly  
>"That's not my name!" He practically barked the words out<br>"Right so stop believing everything you hear and maybe I might Scarf." The Pikachu growled but knew it was an argument he wouldn't win  
>"I like that name…" The Absol whispered in the back, Pikachu bolted a foot she sat right behind him. "Scarf… It's something that keeps you warm." The Absol was lying down on the cement by that point, it was a sunny day in Cerulean City and that made the pavement comfortably warm. Griffin walked out a few minutes later, everyone had eyes on him<br>"I got food" He smiled warmly "After we're going to take on the Cerulean gym and find Moonlight and Thief." Griffin's fist was clenched tightly against the bag of food, Bandit was certain that she was the only one to notice it. "I'm pretty sure we all can do it." He smiled warmly again but Bandit knew  
><em>that his smile was fake.<em>

The last sign they saw said *8* on the front and by then it was already midday. Luna was panting hard trying her best to keep up with both of them, Moonlight and Thief had to stop from time to time to wait for her  
>"I'm sorry… I'm just tired." She felt her face grow red and tears were starting to sting her eyes<br>"That's alright we should probably take a break anyways." Moonlight turned back in the same confusion Luna did, Thief picked Luna up and offered her a piggy-back ride  
>"I'll carry you." Thief smiled brightly, Luna could hardly tell if he was blushing at all because she found herself doing it. She was small enough to <strong>sit<strong> comfortably on his back, it was wide and strong but Luna stopped when she figured out that she started to **idolize**. Resting her head she watched the world roll by slowly; they walked Moonlight didn't joke when he said they should take a break. "Don't worry Luna, we'll be there soon." Thief smiled it made her face warm, she was happy as she closed her eyes to see her world again.

She remembered the ocean, and not the cliff or the rough waters either. It was a calm rolling sea, like a blanket resting across the waters that would drift off into the sunset. A warm wind would blow through as if to happily say "Hello" into her ears before it brushed by her and into the trees. A sway would come before the tall oaks that stood behind her, reaching to the clouds and furling out to make a roof that covered the whole forest. Luna was sitting, she knew that for sure, and she was watching the water. Small water droplets from an overhung tree above her would ring the water as she watched it the rings swim through in harmony, past waves and pine-needles in the water. There on the beach in silence, she heard a sound. She looked up to see a shadow that bumped into her from a full sprint. She looked up to see his eyes. They were warm and happy, curious in seeing a new friend although they hardly met before. He opened his mouth, about to speak and say "hi"  
>"Luna." The voice whispers, a voice that is gentle and quiet. She turned to see a light, silvery white, a Ninetails sat behind her watching with eyes that sparkled like the full moon, and when she looked up, that was what Luna saw. There by the beach was the moon; the entire day just disappeared from her thoughts. She found that she was sitting again, watching a fire in the moonlit night with <strong>him<strong>. His ears almost loomed over his eyes as he lay down by the flames and watched them make shapes in the night. Ahead was **her, **the Ninetails watched carefully out to the stars beyond the ocean, nearby an Arcanine sat and whispered things to her. Luna could tell that both of them were close friends just by the way they would chuckle and talk openly to one another, it made her smile. It was what Luna had missed  
><em>That smile<em>  
>She would look to the Growlithe, he was large, larger than her and smiled too. They all did, all of them had a smile.<br>_All of them except Luna_  
>but she couldn't understand why; she would watch the fire and chuckle to his jokes but her smile never stayed, not like theirs did. Here, where everything she ever wanted was, disappeared. Her entire world would fade away; far away to a place<br>_where she never smiled again.  
><em>It was a nightmare that taunted her. Luna hardly knew that she fell asleep in the beginning. Here she was crying, alone in the dark, every sound and every move would shake her to her core. She was scared and alone, locked in a cage and being taken away from it all  
><strong><em>forever<em>****.**

"Luna!" The bark jolted her awake, she felt something hot. It was tears, she was crying in her sleep. Thief looked at her, his face read "Concerned" and his eyes… She couldn't tell what she read in them. "Are you okay?" She heard his voice softly cracked, he was scared for her  
>"Yes… I'm okay" Luna found herself whimpering the words but couldn't tell why. She knew that it was only a nightmare but it <em>felt<em> real. Her eyes strayed to lights, hundreds of lights. "Is that!?"  
>"Yes, we made it." Moonlight chuckled watching the sun set. Luna felt her eyes grow wide it was beautiful to look down at the city, she watched the bottom of the hill-top. There was a <strong>road<strong>, she watched a truck roll by and down into the city. "We just need to follow that road and I know we'll end up at the train."  
>"What time does it departure?" Luna asked and stared hard at the lights. It was like a dome surrounding the city in the growing darkness<br>"Every half hour, it uses magnetic propulsion to move back and forward between the cities. It also runs 24 hours a day not to mention it goes about 340 miles an hour…" He started to cut off  
>"Moonlight?"<br>"You know… if it is running of course." Thief looked to Moonlight with wide eyes  
>"What are you talking about?" Thief swallowed hard<br>"Last time I was here they were still making the rails… I heard they did just finish the rails not too long ago so I can only assume that they would be testing the train."  
>"Wait you've been here Moonlight?" Thief tilted his head in confusion<br>"Griffin isn't my first trainer Thief." Moonlight started. "But that's beside the point, the train would still be shut down to public use, but they would have to test the train by letting it run the full way."  
>"So we sneak on a train to get to Saffron?" Luna started<br>"First class ticket home." Moonlight replied with a smile. "Now come on, if we are lucky we can make it in time." Luna stopped him for a moment  
>"How are you so confident that the train is being tested tonight?"<br>"…" Moonlight kept pace. "Let's say I have a friend who lives here, now come on." Moonlight bolted off, down onto the street with Luna and Thief behind him.  
><em>He really doesn't give me a good answer…<em> Luna thought to herself. _A friend? That doesn't make any sense…_ Little did Luna know, it would all make sense sooner than she thought

Griffin spent some of the day upset, but shortly after lunch he ran down to a Pokémon school asking if he could borrow some books for the day. He picked up most of them about water-type Pokémon, he realized quickly that he really only had three Pokémon that would fight in the battle and even then he wasn't at all sure about sending the Absol out.  
><em>Bandit and Shadow aren't going to do anything…<em> He skimmed through one of the books. _Obviously water conducts electricity so that's easy, my Pikachu can handle that. My Marill is a water-type so it would come down to whom is stronger and faster. An Absol is a dark type…_  
>Griffin flipped through another book. <em>A dark type is weak to fighting and bug types. It looks like they fare well with other types of Pokémon though…<em> He looked through the last book it was specifically about Absol's. _It… Looks like they can learn almost every type of attack…_ Griffin read through a list. _I can teach her how to use thunder and thunderbolt, like Pikachu can. She might already know how to…_ Griffin's mind bounced back to the first time he met the Absol. The people in black came to his mind again, he felt his fist clench before he put the books down and returned them to the teacher  
>"Thank you." He said and waved goodbye. Outside the sun was starting to set, realizing the time Griffin bolted off, this time he had all of his Pokémon with him. He made it to the gym, just in time. The three were closing up for the night<br>"Um, we're closing the gym, it's already sunset."  
>"Can I please just have one chance at the gym" Griffin started "Please, I need to tonight." It wasn't much of a stand "Can I please just challenge the gym leader Misty!?"<br>"Misty?" The three chuckled "She left like" Griffin's hand hit his face. "Let me guess… She left with a trainer named Ash right?"  
>"Yeah actually… about"<br>"She left a few months ago, I heard about it with Brock and his father in Pewter." Griffin put his hands on the back of his head. "Please can I challenge the gym, I meant to come earlier but I lost track of time."  
>"Your friend Brad was late too." One of them said<br>"Brad already finished the gym!?"  
>"Yep"<br>"… Can I pleaaaase challenge the gym!"  
>"Alright, alright. No need to beg about it." It was the girl from before, she came up and started. "Since you came so late, we all might as well challenge you."<br>"A – All of you?" She smiled, it seemed twisted enough. She grabbed Griffin by the hand and dragged  
>"him to the arena. "H – Hey." He was brought to a pool with two platforms divided by a body of water that spanned about 80 feet in length<br>"I'm Lily by the way" She pulled out two Pokéballs "My sister Misty used to help out with the gym before she left now it's just Daisy and Violet and me."  
>"Oh well, I bet one day I'll cross paths Misty."<br>"If you do can you at least tell her to call every now and then."  
>"I'll be sure to" Griffin chuckled and pulled out his first Pokéball. <em>Alright Pikachu, let's do this!<em>  
>"Go Poliwhirl!" The Pokémon flashed out<br>"I don't remember hearing the Gym having those…" Griffin threw down his Pokéball his Pikachu came to action  
>"Oh a Pikachu! I haven't seen one of those in a while! Not ever since Misty left."<br>"I guess that trainer Ash has one?" Griffin chuckled to himself  
>"Well… Yeah" Lily gave the classic 'No da' expression to Griffin. "Poliwhirl! Use Hydropump!" The Pokémon nodded and shot water fast and low, it hit Pikachu in the gut, almost knocking him into the water. By then it was gone. Griffin waited a moment<br>"Pikachu stay away from the water! It went under!" Griffin called it perfectly, the moment he yelled, his Pikachu dodged back, missing the Poliwhirl by a tail. His Pikachu turned, unable to move midair when he was hit by the Poliwhirl's mud-bomb. _He gathered mud from the bottom of the pool… It must be an aquarium or something similar. This is bad_. Griffin looked to his Pikachu it was blinded by the mud. The Poliwhirl darted forward, a clean tackle, the Pikachu was fighting blind. Griffin bit his tongue hard  
>"Pikachu jump left!" Griffin called it again his Pikachu suffered one less blow. "Jump forward! In the water!" He called his Pikachu did and jumped into water, getting the mud out of his eyes. The Poliwhirl was already gone again. "Pikachu! Climb out!"<br>Before he had the chance the Poliwhirl was already out again, landing a beautiful tackle to his chest and left Pikachu breathless. Knocked out of the water and onto the platform, Pikachu dodged right, only to get tackled again.  
><em>Pikachu…<em> Griffin thought hard to himself. _I know you're not the fastest but I know you can do it._ A beam came out of his side, on the corner of the pool his Absol stood there  
>"This is a gym battle, you can't tag team!" Lily yelled from across the pool<br>"I'm not! She came out on her own!" Griffin went to pull out her Pokéball but decided to watch her it was what she was doing for him. _Watching_  
>"Scarf!" She barked from across the way, she knew what she was doing from the start<br>"I told you…." He panted out, the sparks flicked from his cheeks as the Poliwhirl went for another tackle  
>"Dodge the next hit and use thunderbolt! Stay to the middle of the platform, he's trying to knock you back into the water!" Scarf took a defensive stance and waited, the Poliwhirl went straight for him and he dodged – barely before unleashing a current of lightning his way. It was a perfect strike, sending a massive flash through the stadium before Lily returned Poliwhirl<br>"I thought I'd get you too…" She pulled out her second Pokéball and threw it down.  
>A Dew-gong came from the Pokéball. Griffin pulled out one of his, returning his Pikachu<br>"Well you pulled Pikachu back… What's your next Pokémon?"  
><em>I can't use the Absol…<em> Griffin was watching her for the time, she was still limping terribly _She needs to rest her leg or she'll cause more damage to herself and that's not worth a badge to me._ _I can't use Shadow or Bandit either they're just taking up space_  
>"Well?" Brad pulled out a Pokéball, his Marill, but before he had a chance a beam darted from his belt.<p>

"Alright." Luna said and laid low beside Moonlight. Thief was put on watch and focused on everything behind them. "We got past those two workers, the one security guard, and the handful of other construction people… What do we do now" Luna looked at the sleek scrap of metal in front of them it didn't look like it was on  
>"We wait for a minute… He'll be here real soon." Moonlights ear twitched to a sound, it was like a wheel rolling by<br>"P – Professor Akiyama? What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be back at the office?" It was a young man, another security guard in fact. The other man, around his early-forties was in a wheelchair  
>"Well I got tired of waiting around there, I wanted to see the first run of the Magnet Train."<br>"Couldn't you see that from the camera feed?" He proposed, standing in front of the wheelchair  
>"One can only see what a camera shows them, but with one's own eyes you experience it. After all I did help fund the project. I wanted to see, in person, the first run. It is happening tonight correct?"<br>"Yes sir." The man stood with his hands behind his back. "I'll leave you to it than Professor."  
>"Very well." The guard was gone, disappeared around the corner and after a minute, the wheelchair spun around. "Not the best at hiding from me anymore Espeon." Moonlight walked out from the cranny, along with Luna and Thief – both of them hung far back<br>"Is that…" Luna started  
>"I'd like you to meet Professor Ayumu Akiyama. My first owner, before you ask too many questions he knows my aura, we can almost… talk from time to time. It's easier the closer we are to one another."<br>"I thought you said he was dead…" Luna whispered  
>"What!?" Thief yelped in surprise "S – So he's a ghost!?"<br>"He almost died… In fact he doesn't have both legs. They're fake." Ayumu brought his hand down to Luna  
>"I used to have one like you… Same energy." Ayumu sighed and smiled "I wish I had that silly scarf today, the one he always liked to wear… because I'd give it to you." Moonlight gave him a glare before he looked to Luna and sat down. "So you're trainer is Griffin… If it is the one I think of… His brother Logan sent me quite the theory on a new line of Pokéball software and Pokédex models." Moonlight nodded 'yes' anxiously. "So that's what happened, that Copycat is still around… Well knowing the situation I will leave you to the train and" Moonlight responded telepathically 'And?'<br>"And I will request a trainer tri-research certificate to Griffin."  
>"A trainer tri-research certificate?" Luna and Thief both asked Moonlight<br>"It… allows a trainer under a special or unique circumstance to have twelve Pokémon in his party rather than six, it's an exceptionally difficult grant to get a hold of. There are strict rules, like only six Pokémon are actually allowed in a battle or gym battle at a time. So he or she can alternate teams before battles but can't pull a Pokémon from the team they aren't using during a battle... Unless there is an emergency of course."  
>"Wow… Twelve." Luna whispered to herself<br>"Alright." Ayumu strapped a small bag to his Espeon. "It has the Pokémon usable potion sets. I just finished perfecting it. Remember Moonlight never use the black code."  
>"Black code?"<br>"That's unimportant and please" Moonlight turned to Luna. "Never ask about it again."  
>"Now all of you get on the train." Ayumu wrote something down on paper, it was a Pokénav number. "Thank you for Griffin's number Moonlight." He gave a nod in reply and brought all three of them on the train<br>"See I told you we'd make it home." Moonlight stared and yawned. The inside of the train was fully finished it looked as if they were almost able to open it for the public soon  
>"Yep!" Thief growled happily and looked out the window. The train started to move past the city, the mountains were further ahead<br>"Everyone hold on… I wasn't lying when it said it'll go over 300 miles an hour."

The shadow unfurled, yellow eyes sharpened at the Dewgong. A smile came by, Griffin took a step back.  
>Bandit came out<br>"Well was this all?" She chuckled to herself it was something Griffin swore he could hear. "An ice-water type?" She chuckled again and took a stance "What are you going to do? Spray me in the eyes? Get my pelt wet?" The Dewgong padded at the surface of the water and watched Bandit show her fangs before she charged an attack  
>"Dewgong icebeam!" Bandit laughed the straight shard of ice and frost darted at her. "The Vulpix and Growlithe aren't the only ones that play with fire." She stood head on, charged an attack that Griffin swore was Hyperbeam but realized<br>_She used incinerate…_ Griffin watched as the arena exploded into flames the blaze rested **on** the water and melted away the ice and frost that was ahead of her. _That… was like something out of a movie…_ Griffin felt his eyes grow wide, the flash near blinded him before he could focus straight again. The Dewgong was hit straight on, regardless of it being in the water or not, the burn marks looked like shards across the Dewgongs body and from a second lost  
>Bandit was already behind it. Her teeth reefed into the back of the Dewgong, she <strong><em>dragged<em>** it from the water and began to charge another attack. A second incinerate, the flames licked her muzzle deviously  
>"Bandit STOP!" Griffin yelled across the gym. She looked to him almost bitterly before she shrugged and walked back. Lily stared at the Pokémon walk away before running to Dewgong's side. Griffin bolted over there too after he returned Bandit to her Pokéball.<br>_I should have called her back in the beginning!_ Griffin cursed himself and pulled out a strong potion and a burn remedy  
>"Is she okay!?" Griffin kneeled beside the Dewgong it was unconscious<br>"… Yes... I've never seen anything just burst into flames before…"  
>"Here, use these." He applied the burn remedy first. "I bought these from the market today… I thought picking some stronger medicines would help me… I didn't even think she'd…" Griffin was mumbling on and on<br>"Well you won, I'm sure Dewgong will be alright. I mean the attack was off anyways."  
>"… What?" Griffin looked back to the Dewgong and tried to remember the path of the fire. The flash that blinded him, he could hardly see the path<br>"You're Pokémon are really powerful, they also know how to show restraint all the same. I could see it in your Pokémon's eyes at the end. She was testing you." Lily smiled "It seems like she's scary on the outside and rather calm inside."  
>"I've. Never noticed that." Griffin's voice cracked, he cursed himself and bit his lip hard<br>"Well Griffin, I present you with a Cascade badge."  
>"Wasn't… I supposed to fight all of you?" Lily laughed<br>"I just wanted to see if you were up to the challenge! You took it and didn't hesitate at all about it!"  
><em>I was dragged into the Gym…<em> Griffin kept his mouth shut and accepted the badge and gave Lily a smile. He left the gym put his hands in his pockets and walked out on the sidewalk.  
>When his Pokenav rang…<br>"Hello?" Griffin answered casually, his Absol walked beside him; she didn't want to go back into the Pokéball  
>"Yes is this Griffin by chance?" A voice started, it was aged Griffin knew that immediately.<br>"Yes who am I speaking with?" He replied politely  
>"My name is Ayumu, I just found your Pokémon"<br>"I'm sorry?" Griffin was half understanding, almost starting to sound upset about the call  
>"Your Vulpix, Growlithe and Espeon."<br>"Where are they!?" Griffin exclaimed loudly  
>"Well it's a long story, are you in Cerulean by chance?" Ayumu asked<br>"Yes I am."  
>"Well they are in Saffron City or at least fairly close by now."<br>"What!?" Griffin exclaimed again "Did you just see them!?"  
>"About an hour ago, I had to find your number and it wasn't easy." Ayumu said again. Griffin looked around – it was dark out, the sun was long gone<br>"Oh my god… Thank you so much!"  
>"Of course."<br>"You're sure they are? In Saffron I mean."  
>"Very, they were headed that way when I bumped into them. I bet they're going to be nearby the center. I remember my lost Pokémon doing that." Griffin didn't know whether or not to trust the phone call or not. It was then that a pair of footsteps came at him, and they were coming quick<br>"Griffin!" It was Brad, he had his hands on his knees and he was panting. "Police… Info… Saffron." He chuckled, said 'Thank you' again and hung up the phone  
>"I know someone just called me."<br>"… Magnet Train… Security Camera…"  
>"What?" Brad growled to himself and took a deep breath<br>"YourPokemoncamedownfromGoldenrodCityusingtheMagnettraintogettoSaffronCity."  
>"Wha – Brad breathe for a minute." Griffin said and started to walk to the Pokémon Center. Brad walked beside him and tried to relax for a bit; Griffin returned his Absol. Aura was next to Brad watching him and holding his hand carefully<br>"Alright." He breathed in again. "The police told me they just got a call from a security officer from Goldenrod City saying that three Pokémon, A Vulpix, Growlithe, and Espeon got inside the Magnet Train on a trial run. They were caught on a camera inside the train."  
>"What is the Magnet Train." Brad felt his hand hit his face a little too hard<br>"A train that goes from Goldenrod City in Johto to Saffron City in Kanto."  
>"Oh… I TOTALLY SAID THEY WERE THERE!" Griffin called out unaware of the people staring at him. Brad looked up<br>"I don't know this guy." He chuckled before Aura gave him a good *Swat*  
>"Well we need to get to Saffron now!"<br>"Too dark, we can't just walk out anyways it would take us till morning to get there." A row of sirens came up behind Griffin he felt his heart jump a mile from his chest  
>"Well if you ask for a ride." Officer Jenny was sitting in a small service car, three seats in the car. "It looks like you caused enough problems with your lost Pokémon, my superiors wanted it fixed. Also I want a happy ending to this story." Officer Jenny opened the door to the squad car. "Get in."<br>Griffin bolted around the side and thanked Jenny. "No problem." She said. "You too Brad, get in." Brad was reluctant but followed along  
>"I'm not the best with cars."<br>"Hold on" She said and hit the sirens on the car squealed and hit eighty in no time. Griffin looked out the window to watch the trees roll by before he let words run through his head.  
><em>The last few days have been just a little too crazy<em> He smiled to himself _I can't believe all of this is happening, I swear I'm living some Hollywood film…_ Griffin laughed to himself and turned to Brad. He was pale  
>"Brad?"<br>"I'm not… good with cars."  
>"Don't you throw up in my car!" Jenny barked firmly<br>"I'm not… I'm just dying in it." He chuckled to himself and swallowed hard. Griffin found himself laughing along.  
><em>I guess it's going to be a happy ending after-all.<em>

_End_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A 'Happy' Ending

Griffin hardly let his eyes stray away from the road as he watched the medium fly by him. They were all on the road for a decent hour now, waiting, waiting so anxiously that Griffin could feel the words racing through his mind; everything about the whole few days just made him think again and again that  
><em>'Maybe I'm not fit to be a trainer'<em>  
>The words paced themselves, loudly and clearly, he heard them echo again and again<br>_'What kind of trainer can lose their Pokémon so easily!?'_  
>He scolded himself because he knew that he must've made a mistake along the way, somehow, or somewhere he did. He knew the feeling he had: the sick feeling he had in his gut, his legs cold and the hairs across his arms stood on end. The dry throat that he didn't dare to clear as Officer Jenny would have asked 'what?' and Griffin wasn't in the mood for talking. He took his eyes to the road and remembered the trip to his grandparents place. The long old dirt path through numerous little towns, and the trees that would tower and shadow them the way there; it was almost always sunny, letting the glow peek at the tip of the forest by the morning when they would arrive<br>_'Why am I remembering all this now?'_  
>Griffin wanted to know, the faces, the eyes; the voices and sounds. He left for a reason; an honest reason, but now he couldn't stop feeling<br>_guilty  
><em>No matter what he thought about, that feeling still lingered and for the first time as a trainer, Griffin was starting to feel _regret_; even as Saffron city's light began pressing against the night sky.

Under a brightly-lit cabin car, Luna waited patiently; they had been on the train for a decent hour now. Moonlight spent his time watching streams of blinking lights follow along the track like checkpoints; here he would look out to the window to his left and notice pockets that glowed far off in the horizon – city lights burned as stars before them.  
>"It's… beautiful." Luna noticed Thief's eyes go wide and big, reflecting the dimly-lit ground-stars in his calm, brown eyes. She couldn't help but notice his ears again - at the speed of the train they would droop behind him, and she could hardly hold down a giggle because of it. It was comfortable, like sitting on a floating cloud that would love to sway along with the turns and gently rock, like a kite in a calm wind. Luna could sit on the chair and stand to look out the window somewhat comfortably but her gaze always changed to the roof of the train.<br>_What is that thing?_ The words echoed through her as she watched a small black orb stare back to her, fixed on the roof like a pocket-light. From time to time her ears caught onto the sound of _whirring_ that would churn the quiet air around all of them that let a shiver come forward. Luna had the slight feeling that something was _watching_ them  
>"We're almost there!" Moonlight cooed and stood on all fours; the train started to drag back slowly, Luna could feel the vibrant energy flow against her paws<br>"Is the train slowing down?" Luna had to ask, it felt like the floor was vibrating  
>"Yes! Yes it is!" Moonlight mewed from excitement "That's just the current of magnetic energy pressing against the bottom of the train!"<br>_Any happier and he may as well start hopping…_ Luna giggled to herself, it was a bad joke – a little mean even – but she found the idea comedic. The train began slowing down, hitting 120 mph comfortably and still slowing as if it a cushion was gently pushing against it. Thief sat by the entrance for the time, his tail wagging briskly and his eyes staring deep into the window, Luna could almost _read_ his thoughts.  
><em>Griffin's going to be right there<em> she figured that's what he thought. _He's going to be right behind that door…  
><em>She yawned and stretched her legs, they needed a good rest even though they only did have a day or two of travel alone  
>"Isn't this a little weird?" Luna started, more to herself than anyone else. Yet both Moonlight and Thief replied 'What?' respectively<br>"It's just that everything went by okay… I mean… It's great and all but it felt a little too easy." Moonlight stretched out, showing off this prideful feline-like curve  
>"Well things usually are good, especially when you try your best after-all." He smiled after that, sitting by her. "I bet things will be rough when we get back, sure, but after that everything will be fine."<br>Luna felt a smile come along the feeling burned across her face in a blossom of happiness. "I'm sure it will." Thief appeared beside them  
>"The train stopped…. But the doors aren't opening…"<br>"What?" Moonlight landed onto the floor and walked towards him, his eyes scanned the two walls that linked together by a simple dark line. "When the train arrives at a station the doors are supposed to open… unless they've been overridden."  
>"Wait." Luna stared at Moonlight. "Are you saying that the doors won't open?" Moonlight made his way up to a window the night sky was dominant here; the station lights were off leaving the platform outside veiled in darkness and moonlight. Luna felt her eyes catch onto Thief for a second; she only needed one to notice he was <em>shaking. <em>Luna tried to open her mouth but found no words… a familiar aura filled the air.  
>"There's no-one… out on the platform." Moonlight took a nervous breath in. "The cameras on the train have already seen us… why?" His whispers brushed against Luna's ear, it made her on edge. Moonlight stared hard into the dark, following every little sound and movement; his eyes glowing pure purple, he was using all his senses. It was the sound he made, like a terrified gasp that made Luna's heart stop<br>"Get beside me NOW!" Moonlight jumped to Thief and called fourth a blinding light – a solid orb surrounded them  
>"Luna!" Thief barked, but before she even made a move – before she even took a breath – the <strong>entire<strong> train had flipped to its side and hit the floor with a deafening sound. Luna turned into a ragdoll at that point, being sent against the wall hard enough that the crack she heard matched the pain that surged through her body. She couldn't find the strength to stand back up. Her world in a daze, she looked past the glass and to the moon where a silhouette blocked out its light. The silhouette of a Suicune stared down to her; a small smug smile glowed in the dark behind it was a pair of dimly-lit eyes  
>"No matter. I'll just kill you first." The voice struck a pain through her chest, Luna turned to see her hip…<br>and the shard of glass that stuck out of her. Luna coughed and forced herself to stand, her legs shook – hardly able to support her weight as she began coughing up _blood_. Her eyes went wide to the pain that raced through her chest.  
>She broke a few ribs during her fall<br>"Luna!" Thief roared his voice was soft; slow to her ears  
><em>'am…'<em> Her eyes darted around the walls. The roof, the floor, everything was crushing inwards as if it was being _squeezed_. _'Am I really going to die here?'_ The collapse was only a second of time, but Luna felt as if it was an eternity that ended her when all of the walls suddenly crashed into each other. It was in the sounds of her distorted world that she heard someone yell. There were faces, people she knew, people she cared about and for whatever reason; Luna couldn't stop the tears from falling.  
>The face of her mother and that Arcanine she remembered from her memories… came to her again<br>'_I don't…. I don't' _she cried to herself as the walls pressed against her, pinning her. _'I don't want to die yet!'_

"Where in the world is everyone?" Jenny started the stairs to the platform was in front of Griffin. He looked to Brad; the train was already in the station. Griffin looked around and smiled  
>"I can't wait until I get to see them again." He cleared his throat "God I can't believe this all happened." Brad walked up to him and put his arm around his shoulder<br>"Everything will be fine." Brad said again, it felt like the fiftieth time to Griffin  
>"Yeah I know." He looked around and paused "Where is Aura?"<br>Brad looked around too. "She's right there. Aura" He called happily but noticed that… she didn't respond back. "Aura?" Frozen her eyes focused towards a building; she was looking into the direction of the train… That's when they heard the sounds. A deafening crash sent bricks from the second platform, a few almost hit Griffin and Brad. He felt himself freeze  
>'<em>The… Train…'<em> Griffin **saw** the front lights disappear right before the sound  
>"Holy…" Brad started up, but Griffin took a full run at the stairs. "G – Griffin wait! We can't get up with the barred-door there!" He placed a tackle on it, it sent a shock of pain through his shoulder, but it violently rattled the bars<br>"You think I care!?" He barked back at him "That came from the direction of the train! We need to get up now!"  
>"Now hold on!" Officer Jenny started "You can't just do that; you'll break your arm!" She pulled out a Pokéball. "Blastoise! Help us open the gate!"<br>"Right!" Griffin pulled out his own "Alright… Bandit and Shadow, you're my only bet here." He tossed them both down. Bandit stared for a while, almost debating whether she should or shouldn't just go back. She sniffed the air before the scent brushed against her sensitive nose  
>"I smell blood." She started to say, Shadow felt his fur stand on end<br>"Blood? Could it be from-  
>"I don't know… We need to get past this gate." She took a quick look around, her eyes glancing at a dumpster and a set of scattered 2 x 4's. "I have an idea Shadow. The roof there is only a story or so tall. I can probably get up and scout ahead."<br>"What about me?"  
>"You focus on the door with the overgrown turtle, I'll figure out what's going on." Bandit bolted off, taking to the closed dumpster as a vault, and with a single leap<br>she cleared the height perfectly  
>'<em>What the hell is going on?'<em> Her eyes darted back towards Griffin whose eyes met with hers. '_Even Griffin is serious… and… what is this aura?'_ The questions raced through her mind, but now, nothing could hold Bandit off.  
>"Luna?" Thief was shaking, hidden behind the shroud of a pond; the shield a wall between him and a pile of crushed and broken <em>scrap metal<em>. The entire end half of the train was like a soda can after being stepped on. Broken glass reflected the dimly-lit shadow that stared at him deviously, their tongue wet their lips.  
><em>They were enjoying it<em>.  
>His blood boiled under the gaze. The fine-lined face, laced under moonlight kept the gaze; Thief was staring into the dark shrouds of <em>murder<em>. That was the intent here, his flame burned into his chest he wanted to fight– he needed to fight. It took him a while before he realized his shaking had stopped; his legs were solid even though the floor was littered by glass and metal. A word danced through his mind, a filthy one raced through again and again; but the next voice could only say it perfectly  
>"You bastard!" It was Bandit. Thief caught onto her in the last second; a shadow darted through the night like a shrouded arrow that blocked out moonlight under the sudden flash of fire. His eyes could catch onto the line that darted across the sky leaving nothing but an explosion of fire all around the <em>monster<em>. It jumped high, reaching the stars before **changing** into another Pokémon; like a shrouded Fearow that blocked out the clouds. Bandit disappeared during the smoke. By the time it faded she was already gone  
>and appeared in mid-air behind it. She placed her fangs against the throat of the creature, it was a perfect grasp. "I'll show you why I was banned from the League!" She snarled violently and shredded her whole body downwards. "I'll show you why the League nicknamed me Daisho!" She cut the Fearow clean; her entire form was like an art, her body curved perfectly, from strike to end as she landed silently to the ground below, her face dipped in<em> blood.<em> The Copy-cat fell shortly after she landed, changing shape back into a Mew. Bandit immediately raced to the train, her eyes caught onto the front of it – which was crushed and flattened in. "Thief! Moonlight! Luna!" She barked loudly, her voice carried past the shattered debris  
>"Bandit!" Moonlight replied and she bolted to the voice, broke past a set of doors to find them unscathed<br>"Turn off the shield, I'll help you out!" She reached her jaws into the train and pulled Thief out; he didn't grimace or flinch when the teeth took hold of him. Soon after she reached for Moonlight and dragged him out of the rubble. "Where's Luna?" She asked sternly but a bitter tone got caught in her throat "I don't see her." Thief had already disappeared to the front of the train, which was mauled, and shredded, and crushed in. The metal had formed into spikes that punctured through the other end as if to pin it to the floor – only the front cab, where Luna got caught, was damaged. Thief couldn't draw his eyes away from it; a soulless feeling filled into his soul, one that bitterly forced tears down his face.  
>"Luna?" He whispered to the cold and adjacent metal that let the wind howl funny sounds through it. Metallic, to a taste, the wind broke down at Thief's fur as he stared; un-announced to Bandits questions. Thief bit his tongue hard enough that it <strong>bled<strong>  
>"She's okay." He whispered and tried to deceive himself from the blood that dripped from the gnarl of a metal <strong>tombstone.<strong> "She'll be okay…" he couldn't even tell that he had been whimpering for that whole time, let alone talking. Bandit sat behind him and stared, hard at the train before a sound caught her attention – she was the first to notice the shadow that landed a blow to her.  
>The Copy-cat had changed into an Arcanine and had already landed its second blow on Bandit. She hardly had the chance to stand before she had to narrowly dodge<br>"Bandit!" Moonlight forced up a wall to stop it convinced it would, when the Copy-cat had shifted immediately into an Espeon itself, hardly needing a second to change, and it only took another second to break Moonlights wall before it transformed again, back into a Suicine. "Stop this!" Moonlight tried to act reasonable, but his eyes fell to Thief; he couldn't stop the hiss he made. After all  
>he did <strong>kill <strong>Luna  
>"What is it? That thing is fast…" Bandit coughed painfully, the first set of blows hit her clean in the chest.<br>"I hardly know about it myself… all I know is that…" Moonlight started hissing again and forced up a Psybeam, Bandit followed along and charged up a Hyperbeam  
>"What?" She growled before she conjured it<br>"That thing… is **not** a Pokémon. No Pokémon would do this." They stood fast, the Copy-cat charged up its Aurora beam to challenge them both, but before anyone knew an explosion of flame occurred and standing between all of them  
>was <strong>Thief<strong>.  
>His snarl was terrifying; even to Moonlight – it was more than just retaliation<br>it was a declaration of _war_.  
>The Suicine called it up again –an Aurora beam. But before it could even start a spiral of flame darted past it and broke the charge as a set of incinerated fangs sliced through the shadow-like Pokémon's chest.<br>"…" Bandit watched before she took stance. "He pulled on a Fire blast and then a Flame-wheel to a Fire-fang." She smiled darkly to Moonlight it was a familiar taste that showed in her eyes. "There's a thing about Growlithes, mainly…" She looked back, they both did as Thief canceled over again – his flame-wheel conjured towards a sudden Flame charge. "They're exceptionally loyal… No matter whom they're fighting for"  
>"Shouldn't we help?" Moonlight was going to cut in before Bandit stopped him<br>"No, even I can tell whose fight this is." Thief snarled out words mid-fight, most of them Bandit feared he picked up from her. As the Suicine tried to counter, Thief evaded and simply closed his eyes. A solid flare-like line darted across towards the Copy-cats muzzle, and as it struck  
>the entire Copy-cat was incinerated. Thief forced the Copy-cat into a corner before he stared in anger, the <strong>fake<strong> injured before him.  
>So he lit it on fire again<br>and again  
>and again<br>and again, Bandit was lost in her own world at that moment; she had never thought that Thief could've acted so dark and twisted. The small creature - forced back into a Mew - screeched in sheer pain as the flames exploded across it once more. Thief's face was wet from tears and twisted by pure _hatred_, his eyes wet as he growled more "You killed her!"  
>Again<br>and again, the horrific screams echoed through Bandit's ears before she finally cut in  
>"Stop Thief." Her voice was taken away – he was <strong>terrified<strong> and shook like a young and beaten pup, scared as he hit the floor and bawled  
>"Give… her back." Thief began to plead, his eyes sketched to the floor. "I want her back." Moonlight stood behind him and stepped towards the <em>broken<em> creature  
>"You're going with me." His tone was harsh, but hardly like the hiss he held in his voice before. The small purple-furred Mew stared back terror in its eyes before it cringed and snarled. It began to laugh, its eyes were sharp and relaxed even though its fur was smoldered by Thief's flame<br>"I don't understand." The Copy-cat began to say in a dark tone before he smiled again. "What can you do to me?"

The gate finally broke open. Griffin had to mix between finding another way through and using all his Pokémon to get through – the only way to the platform was through that gate, and with **no-one** around they didn't have an alternative. Shadow stood anxiously beside Griffin as the gate finally broke open when fire sprouted in the distance. It came in a sudden flash, a loud crack of an explosion in the closed-distance  
>"That… was Incinerate." The name rolled off of Griffin tongue – it was a sour taste. A second flash came to the air, and then a third<br>"What in the world?" Brad stared with wide eyes  
><em>'One, two, three…' <em>Another set arrived. _'four, five, six, seven… What IS going on?' _Griffin hardly had a moment to step forward when **something** struck him and launched him to the ground. Griffin turned to look and sprung to his feet. An Arcanine hid in the shadows with a trainer **on** it, he saw them in the last split second before they were gone. _'I don't know what's happening…'_ Something felt wrong; Griffin couldn't shake the feeling as he bolted up the cement stairs to the platform. _'I need to get there now!' _He hardly gave time for Officer Jenny or Brad to keep up; he skipped steps, grabbed a rail at the top and jumped over only to stop with wide eyes when he touched the platform  
><em>'The… train?'<em> Griffin only saw stuff like it in movies or how a car is scrapped down at a junkyard. This was _different_, it looked deliberate. "Moonlight! Thief!" He yelled out and scanned the dark; the moon was gone, it would've only been another hour or so until sunrise. From the dark, a silhouette pressed his view. It was an Espeon and Griffin ran as fast as his feet could take him.  
>Until something touched his view; it was the familiar red dart that came whenever a trainer returned a Pokémon<br>"Moonlight!" Bandit shot off to follow it, but it was gone the second it appeared – along with the Copy-Cat. A massive Arcanine stood before a hooded trainer, his jacket a dark sage and the rim of a baseball cap showed off. It was just a kid! Bandit knew that for a fact; younger than Griffin but with a sharp look in his eyes that yelled "I don't care." Fire engulfed most of the platform… Bandit was caught near the heart of it  
>"Bandit!" Moonlight called out, but the roar of the flames blocked out his view. It was bright and nearly blinding, and once it subsided the mysterious trainer was already <em>gone.<em> Moonlight could hear the laboured breaths that touched the air it was Bandit who lay injured on the pavement. She faded in and out of consciousness her fur nearly burned away when Moonlight bolted down to help her. Griffin knew she'd be fine and took a look around only to realize that he was still missing one  
>"Vulpix!" Griffin called out but didn't hear much of a reply. Griffin walked to the train almost to inspect it when he found Thief trying to pull apart the steel with his teeth. "Thief?" Crouching beside him it didn't take long for him to realize at all.<br>The Vulpix was stuck in there  
>"Griff!" Brad finally caught up Officer Jenny was right beside him when they met up with Griffin. He grabbed a panel of the train and reefed on it until it finally came off<br>"My Vulpix is in here!" He said to Brad. "Help me out!" Brad grabbed a side along with Officer Jenny  
>"Griffin… I don't think…"Brad stared at the train again a chill ran through him<br>"She's fine!" Griffin ripped apart another panel he hardly realized that he cut his hand, he put one into a hole he made "I think I found her!" His hand rested on something warm "We need to open this more!" Brad took Griffin's shoulder  
>"We can't open this! You'd need a rescue team to get into there!" Griffin looked Brad in the eye then looked down and clenched his fist<br>"I'll keep trying!" Griffin took hold of the scrap metal again and pulled. The metal croaked uncomfortably he could barely bend the steel until his hands slipped again and he gave himself another tear, this time on his opposite hand. He grabbed it again. "Thief use flamethrower on this spot" Griffin put his injured fist onto a point further down. "You make it hot enough I can bend it a little easier." Thief stared back with wide watery eyes and nodded, a river of flames struck against the steel. Griffin made sure the fire was far away from him, it didn't take long until the steel got red-hot and began to bend up. "You're doing great Thief!" Griffin felt tears sting his eyes; they wouldn't leave as he tore the metal back, and it almost bent all the way back. The result was a hole about the size of a soccer ball; Griffin reached his arms inside and pulled her out.  
>Bandit woke shortly after, pain rippled through her body as a familiar face stared back at her. "Shadow." She chuckled hoarsely to herself; the pain etched its way to her lungs in no-time. Moonlight stood overtop her as well<br>"Luna!" The name made them all perk up, Thief sat overtop of her as they all made their way over. Moonlights eyes glazed over in a bright purple-pink color  
>"I… can't."<br>"What?" Bandit replied as she forced a cough down. Moonlights face shadowed over  
>"She should have been ripped apart but…" Moonlight swallowed, disbelief coursed through his eyes "She doesn't look hurt at all" He felt his face flush and the tears touch his eyes. "She looks fine." From there he ran over and called out two names from the depth of his heart.<p>

-

_'Why would I remember this?'_ Luna raced through her mind; her feet took her further and further away into the shroud of the night. _'Why?'_ The voice gently cried across the plain, tenderly the wind carried that voice away, into the sky as they danced across the moon in a swirl of late bloomed flowers. Luna remembered that night where the stars filled an endless void that rested deep in her heart. That night where she swore that the stars played shapes with her eyes. The endless sea of night took shape as mountains and sunsets, the stars were the story and the sky was the paper. Luna couldn't stray her eyes away from the tale that unfolded before her. The ocean crashed against a gentle beach-side, where the spray would kick up into the air on a hot summer's day and the sun would smile down upon the trees that surrounded the one place she could truly call _home_. Far into the horizon the snow-capped peaks of mountains would press against the bright amber-sky and the clouds would look so much like a puff of gentle sand-colored yarn. She was happy, her life was perfect. Gently her eyes watched the world run by again, the stars brimmed against the moon and then, in a flash, the sun was back out with a beautiful clear blue sky. It was peaceful again and again but… It was all the _same_. Luna felt it deep in her heart that this place wasn't _everything_ that she wanted, she wanted to know the world and everything about it; she wanted to find something perfect and beautiful beyond her world in the middle of the sea.  
>Anything beautiful<br>"Luna" She woke to the voice, a familiar soft voice  
>"Thief?" Luna hardly had the moment to lift her head before he pressed his onto hers<br>"I'm… sorry." It was the familiar feeling that made her cringe. The feeling of his nose pressed against her. "When… you talked to me that night at the Pokémon center I…" Thief pushed away for a moment, only a moment that gave her a second to look around. Luna was in a hospital, not a Pokémon center, but an actual hospital. She noticed Griffin outside who nervously talked with two police officers and none other than Ayumu who sat patiently beside him. "I do find you familiar…" Thief began again. He was tired Luna noticed it in his eyes  
>"What's going on? How long have I been here for?" Luna finally felt the pain that coursed through her chest; she had a row of bandages that were tightened around her.<br>"It's about two in the afternoon. Shortly after the whole train and the Copy-cat fight the police finally showed up, but before anything could happen, Ayumu arrived from a helicopter. He said he saw everything on camera and left for the station immediately."  
>"Why is Ayumu here?" Thief looked out the door, Griffin was still talking with Ayumu when another man suddenly came around the corner; dressed sharply in a suit and tie<br>"I don't know that exactly… I remembered he said that he didn't people to know about this." Thief pushed by the door  
>"Ah Giovanni" Ayumu introduced him into the conversation "Thank you for arriving on such short notice."<br>"For an old friend I consider it." The man had a sharp voice, enough that Luna felt something bad underneath it. "I had to come all the way from Viridian, I hope this is as important as you say it is."  
>"Extremely" Ayumu turned his head to the two officers that were speaking to Griffin. "Pardon us; we're going to have a quick chat in private."<br>"I'll be back, Luna, I'm going to follow them." Luna could hardly open her mouth before Thief was gone, she simply laid her head down onto the small bed she had and waited. The room she was in was obviously designed for Pokémon. It was fairly small so Luna could only assume that there were more like it in the building.  
><em>'I hardly remember what happened.'<em> Luna yawned; her chest sent a flame of sudden pain through her. She almost yelped and ended up getting the attention of not only Griffin, but the two officers as well. _'I remember hearing a voice though...'_  
>Thief prowled behind a corner, Ayumu's wheelchair squeaked from time to time and made it a little too easy to follow them. He tried to listen carefully<br>"The damage to the train is extensive, you're lucky that only the front was broken." Giovanni was holding a few photographs in his hand  
>"I'm just lucky that Griffin's Vulpix didn't die there."<br>"So what was your intention? Calling me here and all, you know I'm a very busy man."  
>"I know of that." Ayumu replied sincerely. "I need a favor from you." Giovanni looked to him and smiled<br>"For you old friend? Of course"  
>"I need your… organization to take the fall for the train. I need to keep the real story away from the public until I can get rid of these things." Giovanni chuckled in reply<br>"What do you plan for a good cover up?"  
>"That a group of your team stole vital parts of the train and in an attempt to stop it mid-run they ended up destroying the front of the train. That should buy me time to repair the train properly, remove the evidence, and when the time comes, your team can return the generators and other vital machinery essential in letting it run."<br>"You sure that'll work?"  
>"If I pay the right press to say the right words, anyone will believe it." Giovanni gave a hearty laugh and put his hand on Ayumu's shoulder "Isn't that true? I'll do this favor for you, but you owe me back."<br>"Of course" Ayumu replied and waved goodbye to Giovanni who checked his watch and left. Ayumu turned his wheelchair around, Thief was gone by then, back to the room and back to Luna  
>"Thief?" She was tired and half-awake when he walked back in<br>"I'm right here." He replied and rested on the floor next to her small bed  
>"you've been with me this whole time haven't you?" Luna felt her face start to flush, the fact that he cared so much made her heart skip<br>"Yes, I've hardly slept really… I mean when we pulled you from the train Moonlight said that you made your own Psychic shield, I couldn't stop crying really." Thief burrowed his head down. "I…"  
>"What?" Luna looked down at him; he was hiding his muzzle under his paws<p>

"I didn't think it was possible really." Moonlight tried his best to explain his view to Bandit and Shadow. "A Vulpix with psychic abilities? I mean it isn't all that rare but…" Moonlight gathered his thoughts. "I spent years practicing my Psychic shield technique; she was able to do it on her first try and not only that…"  
>"What?"<br>"She made it like a second skin… It didn't take any extra space at all and it was hard as rock. I've been trying to do that for years, the only person who could was my father." He sighed in bitter confusion "It doesn't add up to me… I'm beyond happy that she's alive but I don't see how."  
>"She's a tough young Vulpix." Shadow started "Anyways I wouldn't be surprised if she's always known about her abilities… I mean you all only met her a week ago." Bandit yawned in reply<br>"I just wonder about those two." She smiled "God that little Thief gets on my nerves" She began to chuckle before her smile faded "When I saw him like that... I could feel he was heart-broken."  
>"What's wrong with that?" Shadow replied his gaze dared to pierce hers. Bandit smiled to him and looked down the hall; Luna and Thief were in the next room over<br>"I just worry that he's going to throw himself away for her." She turned to the Espeon who sat across from her. "You saw the look in his eyes Moonlight, I'm just afraid that he'll end up heart-broken quicker than he thinks."  
>"There's no guarantee that he's actually in love with her, I mean that's absurd! They only met at least a week ago." Bandit cackled it was from a cough of pain and the laugh she tried to make<br>"They're young and foolish. Anyways you see how she just clings onto him, that's absurd! I just can't believe Thief takes that really." Shadow nudged Bandit in the next second; she didn't appear to notice  
>"I think it's rather romantic really, it's like 'Love at first sight' you know?" Bandit caught onto a good laugh, Shadow blushed from embarrassment, he couldn't believe what he was saying.<br>"Yes because the two of them throwing everything away is romantic." Bandit rolled her eyes and almost stuck her tongue out, as if a bad taste, other than the hospitals kibble, came to her. "The whole 'True Love' idea, it's just stuff humans write in those children's tales. Honestly there's no such thing. Love is love, it comes and it goes and people use one another to try and have a piece of it. It's disgusting really." Shadow and Moonlight didn't reply after that  
>"And Griffin." A police officer motioned to him before leaving. "Take care of those Pokémon of yours, the Pokémon Center may have an extensive care unit, yes, but when you're Pokémon are near death they really aren't prepared for that." Griffin swallowed and nodded before the officer left. He felt that he got a real scolding from a man ultimately more experienced than him. A feeling rose from the pit of his stomach<br>_guilt_  
>He felt sick and put his hand overtop it; they were bandaged up from the cuts he gave himself – not to mention his shoulder was badly bruised, he almost popped it out of place. Peering around a corner, Brad said that he was going for some air and hadn't returned yet<br>_'I don't blame him if he doesn't come back.'_  
>"Mr. Fletching?"<br>_'Why do they call me by my last name again?'_ Griffin turned to the nurse. It was a young man in his early twenties or so, he had greyish –blonde hair in a long wispy style  
>"Yes?"<br>"Your Pokémon should be ready to be transferred to a proper Pokémon Center tomorrow, I just need you to sign some papers regarding this incident."  
>"I never needed to sign papers before for a Pokémon's Healthcare…" Griffin sighed<br>"Oh it's more like insurance than anything." The nurse began "It's in the event that if you are ever terribly injured or that you ever lose your Pokémon again, there would be a place that they could be sent to in case they are ever found by a Pokémon Center institution. All we need to do is categorize your Pokéballs and the Pokémon assigned to them to be able place an I.D tag."  
>"I've never heard of this before." Griffin gave the nurse a dirty look. "How much is this going to cost?"<br>"Oh it's free. We came to realize that only a few of your Pokémon are licensed, all of those belonged to your brother… Some trainers don't have a professor in their hometowns or choose not to be affiliated when the time comes to become a trainer. That's probably why you've never actually heard of this at all." Griffin thought back and remembered that he didn't decide to check in with his hometown professor, mainly, that he didn't want to hear another speech about his brother Logan. "Luckily you ARE a licensed trainer most people would consider you as a freelancer because you're not affiliated with a Professor. If you didn't have your license I'd imagine those police officers we talked to would've taken your Pokémon from you." Griffin felt a sudden surge of fear run through him; he suddenly remembered that Logan was the one who licensed his Pokedex and his Pokenav. He sighed abruptly and asked the nurse for a pen. Before the man left, he made a sound – as if he remembered something. "Oh right! That man Akiyama has offered to be your Professor. He still has a valid certificate and license after-all." Griffin only had the chance to speak briefly with Ayumu, he never told Griffin about that  
>"Alright, thank you." Griffin opened the first page of the terms… About 1 of 50 involving laws and other matters, it took Griffin a decent hour of solid reading. By that time a pair of footsteps came up behind him, he took a look at his watch before turning around to see Brad. It was five-thirty, and there he was with Aura, holding a bag of food and a soda cup<br>"I got you some takeout." A bracelet caught Griffins eye that hung around Brad's wrist  
>"Where'd you get that? Looks kinda girlish…" He couldn't hold down a bit of a laugh, his eyes stopped at the sight of a sapphire-like stone embed on a stone in the middle of the bracelet.<br>"It's… a good luck charm, from my younger sister. Now eat up, we got a busy day tomorrow." Griffin started to laugh  
>"Isn't that my line? I still want to check out the gym." He felt himself smiling. "I've heard that it's a Psychic gym too." Brad stretched out his arms, Griffin opened the bag, it was only a hamburger and fries but anything was better than the hospital food. He scarfed it down while Brad glanced over the papers Griffin had in front of him<br>"You're going to become a trainer under a Professor?"  
>"Aren't you?"<br>"With one back home yeah… Why would you be with… Akiyama?" Brad read the name aloud again. "Never heard of him."  
>"That's Ayumu." Brad paused for a moment before letting out a gasp of realization. Griffin shook his head and looked out the window; the sun was setting so he returned his Pokémon - all of them except for Bandit and Luna who had to stay at the hospital - and began his way to the foyer. "The doctors said I should be fine to leave, but I have to return tomorrow to pick up Vulpix and Bandit."<br>"You know, you should nickname the rest of your Pokémon." Brad started up. "Let's start with your Vulpix. Why not something like… Firefox!"  
>"…" Griffin looked with a stray eye and a poor smile "No" he replied and knew the conversation would only get worse from there<br>"Firelight?"  
>"No"<br>"Foxfire?"  
>"You flipped Firefox! No!" Griffin started laughing<br>"Flameheart?"  
>"Nothing to do with fire!"<br>"Alright… Vixie!"  
>"No!"<br>"Tails?"  
>"That's worse than Firefox!"<br>"Flare…." Griffin felt his hand hit his face  
>"No…"<br>"How bout –"  
>"Alright stop!" Griffin was chuckling again. "I got one for my Absol."<br>"What is it?"  
>"Eclipse" Griffin thought hard about it "It sounds like a good name."<br>"Why not winter?" Brad recoiled  
>"Not an ice Pokémon!"<br>"So? I'm pretty sure an Absol isn't like a… moon Pokémon or something" Griffin hit his head again  
>"You were the one trying to nickname my Vulpix after something fire-related!"<br>"Oh!"  
>"What?"<br>"Volcano?" Griffin looked to his feet they were already at the hotel a few blocks from the hospital that Brad picked out  
>"Really Brad? We'll figure it out tomorrow." Griffin managed to say between his laughs. The sun was near settled, a nest of night sky furled above the amber-blue horizon and orange-puffed clouds. The temperature dropped, Griffin could see his breath as he looked out to the busy road and up to the skyscrapers nearby him. He entirely forgot that he was standing in the middle of one of Kanto's largest cities. The thought excited him. "Tomorrow we should bring our Pokémon to the park here; I've heard that it's quite the place."<br>"Definitely." Brad replied as they both called in for the night.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Rivalry!

It was a cold, cloudless night full from a silver river of stars that dared to compete with the moon. Luna found that she couldn't sleep and it wasn't just because of the pain in her chest or the fact that she had to adjust her bandages constantly – they felt tight. Her eyes strayed to the window where the moon was just able to gaze into her room. Moonlight sent fourth ribbons that rested on the linoleum floor beside her. All through the night the hospital was rested, but she was restless, waiting and watching the sky roll by. There were few clouds – or maybe steam – flowing by and get caught in the nights wind before Luna finally got out of bed and jumped onto the mantle. Lights filled not only the sky but the ground as well. Gold, blue, green at times; like flowers in full bloom they spanned as far as she could see and when her eyes touched the horizon it was the sky and the stars again. Luna found it nothing short but beautiful. It only took her a moment to realize, being in front of hundreds of thousands of lights, that she was feeling _lonely_.  
>She took a gentle sigh and looked back into the darkness of the room. Nobody was out there except for the occasional doctor that passed by from time to time but never decided to look at her, hardly decided to stare into the room. Luna took her eyes back to the window, under the press of stars a flash came in the sky. A plane flew high above the city in gentle arcs of blinking lights. Luna watched as the plane went further and further until it disappeared into the dark<br>"Can't sleep?" It was Bandit who scared Luna half to death before she found a smile that awkwardly came in return  
>"No, I'm not tired." Casually she replied and ignored the pain that came from her injury when she spoke. Bandit put her paws onto the mantle and brought her head to the window<br>"It's quite a view from up here." She began the conversation calmly "…So… you haven't really chosen yet."  
>"Chosen? Chosen what?" Luna was watching Bandit now, their eyes met under the dark light<br>"Are you going to stay with us or go?" Her tone suddenly changed, it was dead serious as her smile faded  
>"Oh." Luna didn't have a thought about it, she hardly gave herself the chance after the days she had. It was a simple solid answer. "Yes." Bandit chuckled and showed her teeth gleam from the light of the moon, like steel razors<br>"For a moment all of us thought you'd leave." Bandit pulled something from behind her. On the floor shone a red metal hood, Luna's reflection held perfect inside it. It shone gallantly in the night as the Pokéball rested in front of Luna and, even though she hesitated to get near it, her nose pressed on the front. In the next moment she was inside and considered herself one of Griffin's.

Thief found himself on the balcony again, he was there for most of the night and watched – the hospital was in clear view of the hotel like all it took was a straight run and he'd be back there. He didn't break his gaze from it and sat, waiting. After hours, it seemed, something came beside him. It was Moonlight. He didn't say a single word and sat down beside him; Thief listened to the sounds of the city, cars he could hear in the distance and sirens that roared before getting further and further away. The occasional *Bsszzt* of a neon sign or laughter that came from down the street. The night was loud and restless, and Thief couldn't figure out how Brad and Griffin could fall asleep to it. Moonlight took a moment to yawn and his eyes were riddled with sleep  
>"If you're tired…" Thief began as Moonlight replied with a smile. He didn't say a word and looked back out to the stars, and sky, and the hospital that stood tall before them. A stirring came into the darkness; Shadow was awake as well watching under the fading moonlight that stopped near his bed. He was caught in both Thief and Moonlight's eye as he walked towards them and sat between the two of them, and watched the night as well. "I guess we're all awake." Thief's voice was hardly a whisper but it was enough to stir their attention<br>"I don't know about Absol, Pikachu, and Marill." Shadow replied in the same tone but hardly looked as he sighed and watched the road, which was illuminated by a dim street-lamp. The road here was empty. Thief, Shadow, and Moonlight all watched the night together in silence and waited for the morning to arrive. Three hours passed. A clock in the room signaled every single one that arrived in a tender, loud, chime. Another noise came into the night, a yawn. Griffin was awake – something must've woken him up as he sat on the bed in a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He looked to the balcony, the door was open; it was the cold that woke him. He stood and stretched and yawned loudly  
>"Thief? Moonlight?" He walked up to all of them. "Shadow… what are you all doing awake?" They all responded in silence before watching the night again. Griffin walked up to the balcony door and looked out the window<br>for just a little while he too watched in silence.  
>Stirs touched Griffin's ear, the night was loud and restless even though the sky was calm in return. He missed the sounds and sights of the city no matter how beautiful the forests and trails were. No matter the adventure he knew that a part of him would be somewhere<br>back home. It was the first time it struck him really, standing beside the glass door with his Pokémon next to him. He could hardly see them as his own; they were all different people in his mind with their own personalities, faces, and names. To him they were like a _family.  
><em>So Griffin questioned why he felt homesick when he had a _family_ with him. There was a mixture of worry and happiness that filled him, it only took him a while to figure out why they were standing, watching. He knew that they were waiting for the sun to rise again because by then they all would be going back to find the rest of _their _family.

Morning hit under a glade of warm sunshine that brought color, and life, to Griffin's hotel room. He noticed that he was the only one awake. His eyes caught attention to the balcony, the sun was full, yet there was a gentle morning-fog across the city. His eyes glanced to the clock where he noticed that Moonlight and Shadow were inside, nearby his bed. The time stared back to him *8: 49* another quick glance outside and he noticed that, unlike Moonlight or Shadow, Thief was sleeping **outside**. Griffin jumped up and opened the balcony door, his hand reached down on Thief as if trying to check if he was cold. The very thought ran through his mind _'He's going to be freezing, what the hell was he thinking sleeping outside!?' _His hand landed softly on his fur and…  
>his pelt was scorching hot.<br>A sudden flash of pain shot in Griffins and immediately he went to run his now burned hand under cold water. A noise rose from behind him, a small gentle groan that changed to a much different sound  
>"Really Griffin!? It's like nine in the morning!" Brad got up too, almost everyone was awake by now<br>"I didn't mean to wake you Brad." Nervously Griffin chuckled and tried to reason cautiously – he still remembered clearly what happened in Pewter  
>"What are you talking about!? Your Pokémon should be at the Pokémon Center by now!" Brad was up and getting dressed. Griffin was lost in his mind, a little confused and at a loss of words. "Well come on! We can't keep them waiting!" Griffin nodded and got dressed himself<br>_'Since when was HE a MORNING person?' _The words yelled in the dark abyss of confusion.  
>Thief yawned and stirred awake, Griffin noticed the Growlithe nudge his way past the balcony door. A question suddenly popped into Griffins mind<br>"Hey Brad."  
>"What?" He was getting his bag set up for the day, Aura was standing behind him passing things he constantly would forget<br>"How much did this room cost anyways?" It wasn't a large room… but… two beds, bathroom with a shower, TV, Balcony. It seemed like a normal hotel room but they were in the city and Griffin knew that cities can cost a _bit_  
>"Oh a few…"<br>"How much is a few?"  
>"Well it kind of was the closest to the hospital AND they don't like Pokémon actually inside…"<p>

"Only a few dollars" He was the nervous one now

"Alright, alright, it was only about two-hundred a night… or two."  
>"I guess you're covering the tab?" Brad began to chuckle again<br>"Uh I thought we were travel buddies… you know fifty-fifty"  
><em>'So he pulls the companion card…'<em> Griffin sighed and looked in his wallet; no cash left meant he'd have to cover it with his credit card and that almost always ended with an annoying phone-call from a certain **_someone._** "Well whatever, we are going to be staying in Saffron for at least a while right?"  
>"Well yeah but if we stay for a few days… that is at least six-hundred dollars or more" Brad and Griffin almost stood in a stare-down before Thief interrupted it by scratching at the hotel door because it was morning and that meant they could get Luna back <strong><em>today<em>**.

-

In all reality Luna never actually had been IN a Pokéball before. A new experience unfolded before her eyes, but it was dark and that terrified her. Her Pokéball, the one Bandit gave her, was one Griffin kept specifically for Luna – If she ever decided to finally use it. On the top was a symbol of fire, maybe to make her more comfortable but she never really liked fire either. Softly closing her eyes, a gentle spark of light appeared in front of her and before long it felt as if she was **outside**. Except there was no wind or even the sound of wind; a stream was nearby her at the base of a mountain which stood high into the sky were she saw nothing but a few clouds. No Pidgey or Spearow, or any other Pokémon for that matter. She was alone in an artificial world without food or water. A sun was high above her and the light seemed real, it was warm and this made her happier. At least _something_ **felt** real but Luna knew right off the bat that it was a fake too. Fear grabbed hold of her because she really didn't want to be there for long. Luna could count the hours while she was waiting in silence. That was something that was real to her too; the silence that should've been filled with a gentle whining wind or a tender stream roaring past in a soft spray of water. Water that would have come from the top of the mountain – or at least near the top of the mountain – and feed off into a lake or basin further away from her. A narrow space was what she had to sit in, to sit and wait for a trainer to let her out and with that in her mind she suddenly felt **_sick_**. Luna could've been left to rot in there. She wanted out immediately because it felt too long for her. She **had** to find a way out of it. A sudden idea came to mind; heat. She decided to pop the lid open by pressuring it through heat. A single breath in and before she could even send out a current of fire, she was sitting on a linoleum floor with a familiar glass door ahead of her. She was inside a Pokémon Center. Baffled, her flames ceased before they could even be let out. A sigh of relief overtook her but she wanted answers  
><em>'They moved the Pokéball? When!? How!?'<br>_Her eyes scanned the room, a tall nurse with light-red hair looked down to Luna and then behind her. The doors slid open in a tender chime, like a bell in a shop. Luna turned to see Griffin standing next to Brad, his hands dug into his pockets before her eyes took a moment to look at Thief. His young face lit up with a smile, a small one. It wasn't too noticeable; it even looked a little nervous too. Luna took a moment to study it before a shadow bumped into her  
>"Well, welcome to the team. Luna" Bandit began before sitting down next to Shadow. She could hardly pull out the words but they were around 'Are you okay?' or maybe 'I was worried…' Luna couldn't choose between the two<br>"Here are their Pokéballs." Nurse Joy handed the two over to Griffin; he was taken a little by surprise  
>"Their?" His eyes took notice to the embed Pokéball; he didn't even know that he lost it. A sly look came into the light and Bandit gave a smile to Luna<br>"Come on we aren't going to wait all day." A few words bounced by her ears as she walked out  
>"Make sure your Vulpix has plenty of rest and nutrients on your travels!" She waved bye to Griffin but not before giving him a surprisingly dark glare. The shock ran through Griffin before he smiled and walked (if not ran) away. He kept a pace before he was out of sight of the Center before pulling out a Pokéball. Luna felt her legs go numb<br>it was hers  
>"I never used this one… I just don't get it."<br>"Well think about it." Brad started "If you didn't have her registered to that Pokéball you may have lost her…"  
>"I… guess that's true."<br>"Maybe she used it when you weren't noticing? I mean Aura did that to me" He took a daring glare to her; she stood like a luminous shadow over him. A nervous chuckle got caught in his throat "But that's something we aren't going to bring up… Ever" Griffin felt his hand brush against the back of his head and, to Luna's relief, he returned the Pokéball. They all took a bit of a walk through the city almost everyone stared at them as they walked by  
>"Shouldn't they put their Pokémon away?" A voice came from the crowd<br>"Showing them off like that is never a good idea…"  
>"Team Rocket will probably steal them if they leave them out like that."<br>"Shush you idiot! Don't say things like that." Griffin bit his tongue and turned to the group passing by them  
>"Do you know where the cities park is?" He asked politely and dropped his hands into his pockets. In truth he hated the idea of a Pokéball, it didn't seem right to him<br>"Oh well just keep going down this road, and it is kind of in the middle of the city, near the Gym." Two little words passed through Griffin's thoughts

_'Very descriptive…'_ He thanked them and kept on the route he was going. Keeping a look back from time to time before picking up the pace  
>"Is something wrong Griffin?"<br>"Put your Pokémon away…" Luna almost froze in place; she didn't want to go back so soon  
>"What? Why?"<br>"Someone is following us." A black cap caught Griffin's eye, it was only obvious as an orange suit in the middle of a forest. He took a moment to remember the two at Cerulean and by instinct he formed a fist. Gently a whisper came under his breath "If it's those two again I'll kick both their asses myself."  
>"Did you say something?" Brad asked in a tone hardly louder than a whisper<br>"No." He returned his Pokémon one by one yet to Luna it felt like a long 'process of elimination.' First Bandit, then Shadow, then Marill and Pikachu but something felt wrong to her, a sudden last second thought became a question  
><em>'I thought a Pokémon Trainer could only have six Pokémon, not seven.'<em>  
>Absol walked right up against Griffin, Moonlight was to his opposite side. They didn't talk much at all in fact they seemed a little distant from one another. She counted them in her mind again before her eyes caught onto something <em>new<em>  
>Brad had two Pokéballs strapped to his belt. Luna immediately knew that Griffin must have lent it to Brad last minute<br>_'He is a weird trainer. I bet he couldn't choose which one to send away.'_ Luna kept up the pace; she was falling behind them. Soon somebody cut her off. She lost sight of Griffin and Brad  
>"Thief!" she barked out into the crowd but there was no reply. Slowly stopping and looking around Luna was unaware of the shadow that suddenly grabbed her. Like nails on a chalkboard she let out a screech of pain, their hands were tight around her ribs. The pain charged through her entire chest and set it to flames, immediately she bit down on their hand and shredded out.<br>She tore away nothing but fabric. Whoever it was dropped Luna to the ground, she almost withered in pain on the cement, the pain causing her to yelp more. It was like she was dropped into a pool of scalding water. Soon after the pain began to fade, she started to cough. Droplets of blood came from her mouth – luckily it was only because she bit down on her tongue during her yelp. Towering over Luna was a face of a young girl who blocked out the sun. She was almost going to say something before Griffin seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"What are doing with my Vulpix?" She flinched to the harsh voice, before quickly putting her hands on her hips. She wore a black beret that flowed down to a knee-length dress that was black with a lining of white; she looked like a character out of a tv show  
>"How am I so sure it's yours?" She almost barked back at him "I simply saw the poor thing lost in the crowd."<br>"She was right beside me." Griffin recoiled  
>"So she <strong>was<strong> right by you?" The mysterious girl gave a look "For all I know you probably stole her. You're simply getting mad because you're trying to steal her and I caught you in the act!" Brad was leaning against a building; he didn't want to get involved with this  
>"She's my Vulpix! You're the one trying to steal her you thief!" Griffin spoke a little too loud and some people started to gather<br>"You're calling me a thief!? You're the one who just happened to appear from the crowd and just say she's yours!"  
>Luna took a quick glance to her left; a security guard was standing against a wall watching them and talked incoherently into his hand-radio. Griffin argued with the girl for another five minutes before a ring of sirens came from the crowd. Officer Jenny got off of her bike and came up to Griffin and the girl<br>"Alright break it up!" She came through in a loud commanding voice "What is going on around here?" They both paused for a minute as they just realized that they were yelling at each other  
>"Well, she went ahead and tried to –"<br>"Don't you pin this on me you liar!"  
>"Liar!? I have her Pokéball right here! How am I lying!?" Griffin asked with a quiet, but sharp, tone<br>"I said enough!" Officer Jenny boomed again and both of them snapped to her attention "Anymore of this and I'm bringing you both down to the station!" They both cringed to the sound of her loud voice. "If you're both going to fight like this at least take it away from the public! In fact… I have a good idea for you two trainers."  
>"An idea?" Both of them asked in question but jumped out of their skin from the look in her eyes<br>"It sounds like there is an obvious misunderstanding… so you both are going to the park nearby and are going to have a Pokémon battle. That way you can prove to each other whose Vulpix that really is." The officer put her hands on her hips  
>"I can't do that." Griffin stated quickly – the words slipped from his mouth without any thought<br>"Because you sto-" The girl started to say  
>"Nowhere close" He kept a serious and calm tone "I just got her back from the emergency room in the Pokémon Center, I won't let her battle with her injuries." Griffin preached to them both before glaring to the girl in the beret "In fact, that's the reason why she yelped when you grabbed her, you did nothing but hurt her more." She shut up, a little bit stunned<br>"Alright you said that you have a Pokéball for her right?"  
>"Right here Officer." Griffin held it out for her to see "But my Vulpix hate's being inside them, I tend to keep her out of it. Anyways, Nurse Joy told me that it would be better for her stay outside of the Pokéball as part of her healing process<br>_'Nurse Joy never said that'_ Luna took to Griffin with stars in her eyes, she was relieved even though the pain the purred in her chest said no. Thief suddenly beamed out of his Pokéball, walked up to Luna and sat beside her without a single word, soon after Moonlight did the same and Officer Jenny started to chuckle.  
>"Why are you laughing?" The girl finally spoke up and almost glared at Jenny<br>"The only time I've ever seen a Growlithe do something like that was when it's defending another Growlithe. I see it all the time at the station… Well kid you got me convinced, but I still need to see your licences." Griffin and the girl handed over their Pokedex's, he took immediate note of hers. It was a light green color that had a bracelet strap and a small Eevee Keychain strapped to the corner of the Pokedex. He only noticed them on those online shopping sites, like those for Anime shows and Japanese networking. Even though it was all so common in Kanto and even back home in.  
>*Riiiiiiiing* His Pokenav went off and caused Griffin to jump. He answered the phone<br>"Hello?" Griffin sighed, half-expecting it to be Logan  
>"Hey Griffster!" The voice was too familiar for him not to know it<br>"Wait? Trevor? What are you doing calling me like this?" Griff smiled and took his Pokedex back from Jenny  
>"Just wanted to check out how my little cuz was doing! I mean you <strong>never<strong> call at all. Logan gave me the number so I called right away."  
>"You sure it wasn't Bandit you wanted to chat to?" Other than Logan (Who does nothing but train Bandit and Shadow, that always made Griffin upset) Trevor was the 'Real' big brother in his life, even though they were cousins and all; it was the only person he could really connect with.<br>"Oh! That's right, you have Shadow and Bandit there, I completely forgot!"  
>"Right Trev." Griffin chuckled and put his hand on the back of his head. Jenny gave him a small glare. "I'll call you back." He hung up the phone and fixed his eyes to her<br>"Next time you two start this I'll just have to consider it as disturbing the peace. You both interrupted the entire flow of this street, now I don't want to need to have this chat twice. Understand?"  
>"Yes Officer" Both of them said at the same time and in the same tone. Officer Jenny left shortly after that leaving them both to stare at each other before scoffing<br>"I can't believe I had to go through all of that because of you." Griffin said and watched as Luna, Thief and Moonlight walked back up to him.  
>"Well I'M SORRY! You ARE in the middle of Saffron City. This place is crawling with all kinds of the wrong people." Griffin sighed and put his hand to the back of his head<br>"Whatever, I need to get going." Thief, Luna, and Moonlight followed behind him, she followed him for a moment too  
>"Tch, Well you're not going anywhere just yet. I'm challenging you to a Pokémon match!" Griffin sighed "Unless you're a bit of a coward." He waited a minute and then chuckled<br>"Fine, since we're so close to the park and all. Choose whichever amount of Pokémon you want, I'm out of your league girl."  
>"Why don't we make this game a little… interesting. See I come from the northern region of Kanto so I have some badges there." She flashed her badges; they were all snug in a cute Eevee decal case. 4 in total shone in the sunlight as Griffin scratched his head<br>"So you're wagering your badges are you?" He smiled, a little dark too  
>"Fine I'll accept your challenge."<br>"G - Griffin! You can't be serious!" Griffin smiled again  
>"I'm not backing down to a girl, Brad." He laughed "Anyways I'll be a step closer, once I win her badges of course." Brad nodded his head left and right<br>"You're a lunatic…"

The park was a bit of a crowded place with a lane that was about the size of two roads spanned side to side in a circular fashion. Of course it cut further into the middle and there was a large fountain that allowed for some trainers to let their water-types swim in. The Gym was in Griffin's eyesight from here but it wasn't the time to think about it. Eyes fixed on Griffin and the mysterious girl for a moment; they both exchanged dark glares.  
>"You better not back down"<br>"Not on your best day." Griffin recoiled and pulled out his first Pokéball. Luna sat on the sideline along with Brad, Aura, and Absol. Even she had a bad feeling about this. "Let's go Moonlight!" His first choice, in his lineup was Marill, Pikachu (Or Scarf, his new "name" was becoming common) Shadow, and Thief. Bandit was nearby the fountain – she was still injured and Griffin refused to use her. The mysterious girl had only four Pokéballs attached to the black leather ring of her belt  
>"OH MY GOD!" She squealed in sudden delight and that left everyone chocked. "Your Espeon is so Kawaiiii" The girl was ecstatic for a moment before pulling out her Pokéball<br>"Let's show him how girls fight! Go Tsurara!" It was the first time Griffin ever saw one up close. It's ears tilted in such a way that it captivated him, he was a little stunned by the way it batted its silvery-blue eyes to Moonlight but he didn't even **_care_** to notice. The Glaceon went up to her trainer first, she whispered something that Luna couldn't catch onto – she could hardly see her lips either. That's when something hit her  
>she could <strong><em>hear<em>** them both, all of them in fact. It made her feel happy, the next second the trainer broke the pep-talk and Tsurara happily strutted to Moonlight  
>"Hi." She spoke happily and in a tone that reminded Luna of the warm sun. Moonlight, on the other paw, kept his stance solid as if waiting. It suddenly charged through Luna's mind<br>_'She's using Attract to get the upper hand… dirty trick'_ Luna kept it in her mind, it was never a bad idea to use it but shortly after that she was deterred.  
>Moonlight wasn't affected at all, and Tsurara pulled out all of the tricks she could think of. From nuzzling to small talk nothing worked on him<br>"You know there's a little trick when it comes to that move Attract." Tsurara stopped dead and looked a little confused as Moonlight stretched his pelt out and casually pushed her aside. Luna found it hard to hear but she swore it went something like this before Moonlight used his tails to disorientate her. _That Attract only works on those actually interested in the opposite gender_  
>Shortly after Tsuara was thrown in dis-array Moonlight circled over, using Agility and Double-Team to through her into even more confusion.<br>"H – Hey!" She made a cry out before suddenly getting struck, first from the side, then the front, then the back, and then the front suddenly. It happened so fast that Luna thought he was attacking from all angles. There was a painful yelp as Moonlight made a quick jump over her, his paws specifically landed on the back of her head as he jumped off and sent her to the floor.  
>"If you pull cards like that you won't get far." Suddenly a shadow darted out from behind him and suddenly he was engulfed in what looked to be shards of glass. Tsuara used Ice Shard. As for Moonlight he wasn't even scathed even though he was swallowed by a sudden river of sharp ice. Moonlight used Barrier in response but what confused Luna the most was the sudden charge of Ice shards that went <strong><em>back<em>** Tsuara's way. Moonlight also used Mirror Guard to recoil the attack and quickly the tables were turned. Luna thought back to the train and the entire fight – it was fractional but this was the first time she really saw him fight in a proper battle. He didn't even look tired, Tsuara, on the other paw, was panting heavily and she was already injured from the sudden counterattack  
>"Finally, a real fight. Most males fall for the Attract trick, it gets so boring. You are a little different."<br>"I already told you that I'm not interested."  
>"I really did think you were joking at first… Shame too." The entire park suddenly got cold, really cold. Luna watched as clouds quickly formed around the Glaceon and its fur suddenly froze over leaving sharp quills in its place. This Glaceon was getting serious now, the whole fight was – enough that most of the trainers in the park stopped to watch the fight. A sudden smoke-screen of snow covered all around Moonlight and he was engulfed in a white sea of snow. The move Blizzard, but at this severity? Luna felt her eyes grow wide in wonder<br>_'I guess it's no different than my Fire-spin'_ She watched as the snow was suddenly taken away, her pelt spiked as she only saw for a single-split second **_that Tsuara was making a full tackle at Moonlight_**. He was launched back, but it didn't make any sense to her – it even felt like he took the hit purposely. She screamed to herself  
><em>'Why wouldn't he move!?'<em> Why was she so worried? It didn't make sense. Moonlight crumpled, still as a corpse sprawled on the cement  
>"HA! I guess that showed you!" She chuckled and strutted over to him, playing out her little victory "There's hardly any female Glaceon's out there so I'm a little special, I got a few tricks hiding in my pelt."<br>"Funny you say that." Moonlight spoke and his un-harmed and strong voice made her flinch. "I got a pawful of them too." In that second Luna caught movement – it looked like Moonlights shadow but it was only there for a fraction of a second before Tsuara was knocked off of her feet. Griffin, Brad, and Luna were lost. Bandit on the other-hand scoffed  
>"Why are you spending your time toying with her? Just end the fight Moonlight, I'm getting bored here." He used something the Pokémon League liked to call 'Future Sight.' It was a common trick for most Physic types but it usually hit hard; very hard. The mysterious girl returned Tsuara who was trying to fight to stand but couldn't muster the strength to.<br>"Fine, you got her…" She pulled out another Pokéball. "Go Akamaru!" Griffin seemed to sigh  
>"Oh! I get it, you're one of those crazy anime fans… it took me a minute with the name Tsuara." He stared down at the Flareon obviously any fan would take the name for it. "How unoriginal really."<br>"Baka." She whispered to herself "Just for that I'll have to take out that Espeon of yours!"  
>"Try it you… What do they even call you people again?" Griffin stuck his thumb under his chin – like he was thinking in depth about it<br>"A Weeaboo… You baka!" The girl was getting angry  
>"Alright you crazy Otaku person." She almost growled and it made Luna go a little wide-eyed<br>"Kick this guy's ass Akamaru!" Griffin snorted and laughed a bit  
>"Really the name is kind of dumb." The Flareon snarled that time and took a charge to Moonlight. He responded with a defensive stance<br>_'I get it, Griffin is enraging the trainer and that's making the Pokémon upset'_ Luna yawned before she unexpectedly cringed from the pain in her chest that erupted when she breathed in quickly. The Flareon took a straight charge to Moonlight – he simply evaded the attack and got behind the Flareon, a few decent feet back, before unleashing a Psybeam that engulfed him whole. There was talk around the crowd, some people clapped and one or two actually cheered Griffin on. Suddenly an explosion of fire struck Moonlights way, it was hot – even for Luna and she was used to the temperature. It scathed Moonlight and left a terrible burn on his side  
>"Moonlight, come!" Griffin was holding a burn remedy but Moonlight disregarded at the sight of the spray. He didn't need it. Suddenly a circular arc strung itself outwards of the smoke – Moonlight took a wild jump left and Luna watched as the Flareon landed, hardly a few inches from her. It gave her a look – and even a small smile before charging into a Flare-Blitz. It was a ruthless move (Luna knew it firsthand.) Moonlight narrowly missed it, getting a scald across his hip from the Flareons <strong><em>fur<em>**  
>"Flareon, a flame pokemon and an evolved form of Eevee. It stores air within an internal flame sac which heats its body to a temperature over three thousand degrees." Griffins Pokedex rang through the battle as he put it away and pulled out Espeon's Pokéball. He bit his lip and pulled out another Pokéball<br>"What? Won't let your Pokémon fight anymore?"  
>"No, with one that hot I'll need to cool it down." He let Marill out and bit down on his lip again He hardly ever used Marill but called out to him "You got this Marill! Try your best out there!" Marill nodded and turned, looking straight into the daring – sharp eyes of the Flareon<br>"Now I didn't think a baby Pokémon wou-" His voice was gurgled out; Marill used Hydro-pump and it was enough to send Akamaru back a few feet; it hit him clean in the mouth with freezing cold water "You little!" He sharply inhaled and Griffin watched as steam rose out of its mouth. He pulled out his Pokedex again as it kept chiming  
>"Would you like to hear your brother's notes?" Griffin sighed and said "sure"<br>"There's more to Flareon than the Pokedex states" It was in the Pokedex's robotic voice; it must've been programmed into the system rather than recorded. "First, when a Flareon inhales the breath can reach up to a temperature of three-thousand degrees but **not** the body, in fact it ruffles its fur collar to cool down as its body can only reach a temperature of about one thousand, six hundred and fifty degrees. If it doesn't or can't release the temperature accordingly the Pokémon overheats and faints. It's easier to heat up a Flareon than it is to beat it by cooling it down. Keep that in mind." The recording stopped and Griffin smiled before hearing a little frantic cry. Marill was practically running circles as the Flareon was torching the ground behind it. He returned Marill.  
>"Fine, if it likes the heat so much. Thief! Go! Use Flame-Thrower and Heat-wave."<br>"What are you playing at?" The girl looked in confusion. "Show him whose Flame-Thrower is better Akamaru!" The Flareon barked in reply and growled at Thief. Luna sat and shifted uncomfortably. Griffin looked a little puzzled himself. "Thief! Agility and Double Team go!"  
><em>'He must've realized that he couldn't just beat her Flareon with heat alone… Thief can't take that much heat – he's a lot like me that way.'<em> Realization struck Luna quickly as the battle suddenly picked up again.

Whatever Griffin was doing, it was worth it. The sun was in a full shine that day and the temperature on the concrete was steadily increasing. Currents of flame were tossed in all directions as Thief crossed around in a full circle before crossing back around – this battle was one of endurance not strength. He was pressing forward and then pressing back and his illusions from double-team were doing much the same. Akamaru was getting dizzy – enough that he faltered and Thief placed a full Flame-Wheel on him. There was a yelp from both of them  
>"That Pokémon is scorching hot…" Thief winced and stared at his opponent whom was lying on the ground – completely confused and defeated. The girl returned her Flareon<br>"I really didn't think I'd get to this point… Go! Sephiran!" From the charge of the beam to the cement ground (Which was still hot) something… _different_ came from her Pokéball. Suddenly the crowd was in an uproar  
>"Is that really!?"<br>"Wow! A trainer all the way from Kalos?"  
>"There isn't any way that –"<br>"Look at that!" There was a flash from a camera "I never thought I'd see one, ever!" Griffin looked at his pokedex, it didn't have any data but the moment he scanned it, his Pokenav went off the charts. He answered it on speaker  
>"Hello?" He spoke real quickly<br>"Griffin, its Logan, where the hell are you?"  
>"In Saffron, I'm in the middle of the match – why did you call me?"<br>"… I have your Pokedex data sent to my PC, it's a wireless feed that's between me and that Ayumu fellow now."  
>"Really!?" It wasn't the time to get mad, Griffin had a trainer to beat<br>"Call me ba-"  
>"That Pokémon is called Sylveon, they've only been reported in the Kalos region. You'll have a tough time taking it out without a Poison, Steel or Fire type at least."<br>"HEY! You can't just give him information like that!" Logan sighed; the entire crowd was quiet enough that his voice came across. Some people talked about how familiar he sounded  
>"I'm the guy running his Pokedex. That information would have been the same on it regardless."<br>"Who is that anyways? You can't just interrupt a Pokémon match! I hope you know that!" Griffin groaned, barely getting the chance to put his Pokenav away  
>"My brother, it's unimportant." Griffin recoiled quickly.<br>"No… His name is Logan; your name is Griffin… That reminds me of that Championship News Article a few months back…" She smiled – it was a sly smile. "You're Griffin Fletching aren't you? And if that's your brother, than that means he's the Hoenn Champion Logan Fletching!" Griffin went expressionless, the crowd took interest too. This was something he was trying to avoid from the start – his identity. Luna watched Griffin squirm needlessly before clenching his fist  
>"Thanks Logan." He hung up the phone – not knowing who he should be pissed off at. This would cause nothing but unwanted publicity, something he wanted to get away from when he left Hoenn. With his fist clenched he opened his mouth. "Thief, I want you to burn that Sylveon out. Do whatever it takes." He nodded and took a stance, The Sylveon simply walked up to him – calmly<br>_'That Sylveon is male, given the name Sephiran. He couldn't really be trying to use Attract or Charm would he?'_ The thought made Luna stick out her tongue – as if a bad taste suddenly got to her. She didn't mind Moonlight, but the 'Sephiran' character was a complete stranger. The ribbons on him suddenly reached out to Thief, they pressed against his fur as the Sylveon gave him a look – and a smile  
>"I don't want to fight." Whatever it was Thief stopped his stance; there was something odd about the air – an aura that rippled through like a small pebble bouncing across the surface of a pond. It was calming and Luna immediately figured it out<br>"It's a trick Thief! Use amber!" She barked and that snapped him out of it, he darted from the reach of the ribbons and torched the Pokémon in front of him. "… Or Flamethrower, whichever you prefer." A beam came from Griffins side – it was Moonlight, he seemed frantic. Suddenly Thief noticed that the concrete disappeared and in place there was nothing but mist – his flamethrower missed entirely. A red blinking caught Luna's gaze for a moment – a camera was recording the battle. There was a sound, it sounded like singing – but it was a chilling cry that made Thief suddenly cringe. A round white light touched the sky – it reminded Luna of the moon. Moonblast, that was the move Sylveon used but it was directed to the sky – temporarily drowning the suns light with the calming moon and then a tender wind brushed Thief's fur. Before Thief could even realize what was going on – he was feeling drowsy. The Sylveon was setting the stage to set him asleep. Thief yawned and at that point there was nothing he really could do but curl up and slip into unconsciousness  
>"That makes two for her and three for him!" A person said from the crowd as Griffin picked Thief up and rested him on the sidelines. Luna simply bet that he believed that Thief would wake up again. He then applied a remedy to Moonlight for his burns and a quick potion<br>"Can you handle this Moonlight?" Moonlight was already walking into the mists; matching himself a few steps away from the Sylveon. Luna went over to Thief (Who was still asleep) and sat next to him, watching the battle from Griffins point of view. Soon she realized something – they were both being exceptionally sportsman-like. The girl considered her Glaceon and Flareon defeated – even though they could go back into battle until they feinted or were badly injured and that's the same thing to say about Marill and Thief. Luna watched, almost exhilarated as Moonlight and the Sylveon both sat down in front of one another.

Saffron City's gym was a Psychic gym, so seeing a battle of the minds wasn't uncommon. The crowd waited in silent cheer as Griffin felt the tension build. Luna could feel the air – and the aura change again and again like two raging streams that suddenly collide into one another.  
>"I never got this part of a Psychic battle…"<br>"You idiot hush, this is where both of the Pokémon are using Calm Mind. They're both in a trance that's letting them exchange feelings and virtually invade one another's mind. The Pokémon that breaks loses." Griffin swallowed hard, he'd never heard of a situation like this before but surely enough he noticed the aura build between them both. A light pale pink overtop his Espeon, and a dark purple overtop the Sylveon. It was a Psychic duel, suddenly; ever so suddenly the Sylveon collapsed. Moonlight wavered for a moment before standing to his paws and slipping over to him. He put a paw overtop of the Sylveon – a symbol of dominance and then left back to Griffin. He tumbled and waved more before collapsing right at his feet. Suddenly the noise picked up and the crowd burst into sudden chatter  
>"She has one and he has two! This is a wicked close battle!"<br>"Still they don't have what it takes to beat the gym leader!" Griffin churned a bit from that. He pulled out his Pikachu, the girl pulled out her last Pokéball  
>"Go! Yuny!" The Pokéballs beam faded and the two went head to head in immediate battle. The mist from Sylveon still lingered and Griffin could hardly see the Pokémon that darted from one cloud of mist to the next. All Griffin knew was that Pikachu was in trouble from the start<br>"Pikachu! Thunder Wave!" Sparks lit up sections of the mist with a single small shadow charging through and around – as if it were **_dodging_** everything. Suddenly there was a pained cry and Pikachu landed out of the mist, covered in injuries and crumpled at Griffins feet. Finally the mist dissipated and nothing but a small silver-white Eevee stared curiously back at him  
>"I haven't seen that fur color before…" Griffin looked at the Eevee half-believing that it caused all that damage<br>"That's my Yuny! Anyways electricity doesn't affect her much. In fact I have a big feeling that she'll evolve into a Jolteon!" The stranger was oddly cheerful – she seemed to be having fun.  
>One last Pokéball, Griffin couldn't believe that she brought him all the way down to this point AND she had one less than he did to start. He closed his eyes and let the beam fly; Shadow stretched and stared at the Eevee…<br>"Shadow! Agility!" The girl gave Yuny the same order. Luna watched and her jaw practically dropped as the trainer did. She could hardly _see_ them fight. Eventually they ended up in the middle of the arena that the crowd practically created. They were all courteous enough to give plenty of space but by now there had to be at least thirty or more trainers watching – Griffin guessed that people didn't have battles to this extent in the cities often.  
>"You're fast" Shadow complimented the Eevee, he was hardly tired but the Eevee was getting the run of her life<br>"T – Thanks." She panted out and bolted around Shadow again, switching from one side to the next to throw him off. For a moment Luna lost track of the Eevee and right when she least expected it a clump of Silver-white fur landed practically on top of them. Shadow dodged the wild fling and Yuny landed way out of the ring; right at Luna's feet. Luna figured that the last thing Shadow wanted to do WAS fight such a young Pokémon. He strolled up behind the Eevee and picked her up from the scruff. Yuny went wild, demanding to be dropped (Or so Luna believed, she didn't get what Watashi-O-Hanasa meant) Yuny kicked up her feet and paws around yelling and screaming again and again before giving up. Shadow gave a smile and walked over to the mysterious girl before dropping Yuny by her feet and walked back to Griffin  
>"Dark… types don't usually do that." Somebody in the crowd said, there were pockets of confused chatter<br>"I was half expecting it to bite down on the poor things head…"  
>"Whoa! That's terrible! Why would you even say that!?"<br>"Well it's a dark type after-all I mean they usually are bad Pokémon." Griffin felt his blood boil, Shadow was one of the nicest Pokémon he'd ever had met. Yet he also knew of nine other Pokémon that were just as kind and he knew them all off by heart. The girl sighed and almost had tears stuck in her eyes  
>"I can't believe I actually lost…" She practically crumpled to her knees. "I've never lost before." Griffin put his hands on the back of his head, enjoying his victory before a fist punted it<br>"What the hell was that!" Brad shushed him  
>"You can't honestly take away her gym badges."<br>"Who says I can't? I won anyways!"  
>"You're not that bad of a person, are you?" Brad's arms were crossed now, Griffin swallowed hard<br>"Well she probably would've taken mine…" That called for a second punt  
>"Be a man not a boy you idiot…" Brad started. Griffin sighed and put a hand on his face<br>"… Fine, I won't. It's not because I like her or something though! So don't you get that idea in your head Brad?"  
>"Fine, fine. No need to be so defensive about it."<br>"About what!?"  
>"Your choices obviously, now got tell her that you won't take them away." Brad uncrossed his arms and Griffin sighed in reply before making his way across the battle-zone<br>"That was one close battle; you've got some really powerful Pokémon." He held his hand out, being nice and all when she swatted it away from him.

"So you won… Take the stupid badges." She stood up and Yuny sat next to her  
>"I'm not going to take your gym badges away." Griffin spoke with a little irritation in his throat. He was wondering if that was the right thing to do. Not on the good or bad scale but the 'Benefiting Me' scale. "Anyways, that would inhibit my Pokémon and my travels. I'm bringing them around Kanto; I'm training them and I'm… Enjoying every second I have with them. Skipping out on a Gym is no less than skipping out on a day I get to spend with them all." She gave Griffin a look and snorted before laughing really loudly<br>"That is so corny!" She was holding her side and Griffin felt the blood rush to his face  
>"It's true you…" He sighed again; it wasn't worth getting upset about it<br>"Look, I'm a great Eevee trainer; as you can see. I know all about loving Pokémon and taking care of them. Anyways." She flashed her badges case again – this time Griffin had a good look at how thick it really was. She pulled back a Velcro lining and showed off her real badges. "Those other ones are fakes. I've already been down to Pewter and Cerulean City. The only problem is that I skipped this gym; I wanted to see more of Kanto first so I came back to Saffron after."  
>"Why are you telling me this?"<br>"I'm going to travel with you baka! You're the first trainer to ever beat my team, there's no way I'd let a rival just slip away from me."  
>"…" Griffin swallowed and smiled sheepishly "We kind of have a full gro- ACK!" Brad took Griffin into a headlock<br>"We'd be happy to have another teammate!" Luna found herself snickering from the back; the two of them really were a couple of idiots. Something stirred from under her  
>"Awe… Those two are so cute!" It was a girl's voice from somewhere in the crowd. Luna was resting her head on Thief, right over top of his shoulders and nearby his neck. She didn't even know that she lied down in the first place. Thief was warm and his breathing was peaceful. Happiness swelled in her and burned in her chest – this time there was no pain just a tender and warm feeling.<br>"Wow! I don't see many Vulpix and Growlithe relationships" It looked like a Pokémon Breeder they all usually wore similar clothes. He pulled out a pen and a notepad, and immediately Luna had the feeling that it wasn't the place for… whatever she was doing. Brad, Griffin, and the mysterious girl hardly noticed them at all and the moment Luna arched her head up – she noticed Bandit and Shadow together by the fountain.  
>"Even the dark types are together! This whole team…" Another voice came from the crowd and Luna couldn't stop herself from blushing. The breeder's attention was diverted away to the other two for the time being. Griffin finally came back – more accurately, Brad dragged him back.<br>"You're Pokémon are very healthy, not to mention they have a lot of unique interactions together."  
>"Sorry?"<br>"Like your two Mightyena's, they have a very healthy relationship – I wouldn't be surprised if they had pups someday!" The breeder scratched the back of his head. "Your Vulpix and Growlithe match up very well too."  
>"My… Vulpix and Growlithe." Griffin looked at Luna; she was busy looking at the trees more than she was Thief by then. It suddenly ran through her head – fear. Would she get in trouble for the way she acted? It was all so confusing. She wasn't consciously aware of it most of the time – or so that's what she told herself.<br>"I can tell that they are rather shy between one another but it seems as if they've been friends for a very long time – I've been breeding Pokémon since I've become a trainer." The young man smiled "You have two pairs of love-birds in your team. You're a very lucky trainer."  
>"I… never even knew. How can you tell?"<br>"A bit of intuition and experience really…" His phone rang and he answered it before waving goodbye and Griffin did too. The man seemed like he was in a hurry.  
>"Hey baka! All this fighting has probably made all of our Pokémon hungry. Let's make a trip to the Pokémon Center and grab lunch." The girl started to say<br>"I never really did catch your name, you know?"  
>"Oh, my name is Natasha." She smiled and stretched "And yours?" She held out her hand, as if to shake his<br>"… Griffin." He shook her hand – playing along  
>"Pleased to meet you. Now… Can we all get to the Center?" They all nodded and left the park, the crowd slowly disappearing behind them.<p>

Rows of people waited at the crosswalk, Brad, Griffin, and Natasha all waited in the crowd as well. The Pokémon Center was back nearby the hospital – the same route that Brad and Griffin took that morning. Griffin's Pokenav showed him the time in a brisk tender-blue light *2:12 PM* He could hardly read the screen from the sunlight. Natasha walked through the crowd, Brad and Griffin lagged behind and noticed how people were staring at her  
>"It's probably the outfit." Brad snickered to himself; it was definitely… different<br>"Do you think she's really from Kalos?" Griffin said to Brad  
>"Well given the outfit… I wouldn't be surprised." Suddenly Natasha was beside them<br>"I'm not from Kalos." She started  
>"Oh… How did you get your Sylveon then?" Griffin recalled back to the phone-call<br>"Through a trade of course."  
>"…" The word 'Trade' made him sick to his stomach. Who could even think to trade their Pokémon away for another? Another few turns and a familiar building came into their view with a large red-neon sign that said 'Pokémon Center'<br>"After this I know just the place where we all can get lunch – the Pokémon too." Griffin was already creating a cold, eerie wind that Natasha just didn't seem to notice. Brad hardly paid attention to it either but Aura certainly caught onto it and hurried alongside Brad to get further away from Griffin. Quickly he bit down on his tongue and kept quiet – surely there must've been a reason why she did.  
>At least Griffin hoped so or this new team member would take a lot to get used to. Luna squirmed in Griffins grasp, for whatever reason he'd been carrying her since he left the park<br>_'Does he really think that I'll get lost again?'_ It was the only justification for it so Luna sighed and endured the treatment – she was feeling tired anyways. Two glass-sliding doors stared back at her as Griffin was hesitant for a moment and his face read 'I can't believe I'm back here so soon'. Luna felt him swallow because her neck was pressed against his, she was resting her chin on his shoulder and watching the world behind him – she had been doing so since they left the park. Thief, Moonlight, Shadow, Bandit, Marill and Pikachu were all waiting comfortably in their Pokeballs.  
>But wait. Something was wrong. Luna counted the numbers in her head again – he already had a full team, plus one if she included herself<br>"Hi, welcome to the Pokémon Center. How can I help you?" Nurse Joy kept a happy face but Griffin could feel the sheer _horrifying thing that her eyes screamed at him_. He swallowed again and walked in a little after Natasha and Brad did  
>"Hi we'd like to rest our Pokémon."<br>"Of course, I'll be sure to get them treatment right away." Nurse Joy was on the move with a Chancy bringing a tray up from behind her. "Please place your Pokéballs accordingly." They all did and were told to wait for a while – Luna was carefully carried to the back room where everyone's Pokéballs were kept. The room was dark and uneasily quiet. The only light that came to her was from the hallway nearby and the recovery beds that some Pokémon rested on. She noticed a Growlithe in the far corner, the top of their head was bandaged and their paw was casted. Luna swallowed and looked down to Thief's Pokéball  
><em>'Physic attacks aren't… physical are they?'<em> She was starting to feel a little uneasy sitting alone in the dim lights. Her eyes caught onto movement – a Pidgeotto was resting too, covered in scratches and mild burns. Luna's mind went to some of the trainer's sitting in the waiting room and suddenly she wanted to know what they were feeling. Especially when seeing _all_ of this was making her think back to a time  
>where she believed that no human was just, or right, or loving.<br>**_Love._** Why did the word feel so suddenly empowering to her?  
><strong><em>Love…<em>**  
>It raced through her mind once more.<br>**_Family… and Home_**  
>Two more words touched her mind; did she really, truly, know the definition? Luna asked the question once more<br>"Please." A voice came from the hallway and gave her pelt a jolt. "Can I see her now? I… Can't take all this waiting, I never could."  
>"Taking on the Saffron Gym like that was reckless. I want you to understand that." Nurse Joy's familiar voice touched Luna's ear.<br>"I… know. I've been pushing all of my Pokémon a lot. I can't just wait…" There was a tender cooing sound; the Pidgeotto woke up. "This whole thing was my fault… I never should've pushed them so hard."  
>"Training your Pokémon is a great thing but you have to learn how to balance it." Nurse Joy started again "You keep wondering why they're either tired or upset most of the time. It's just as much your responsibility as it is theirs. Your Pidgeotto is going to be fine but she's simply exhausted, don't push her so hard. Now follow me, she should be ready…" Footsteps were coming from down the hall and Luna froze solid as she realized that the Pidgeotto was staring right at her. Luna looked to the doorway when the light flowed into the dim room, a trainer stood at the edge of the wall – an Umbreon sat next to her, waiting anxiously. In that moment Luna felt infatuated. The way he looked; the worry in his eyes and the sudden happiness that lit up his face to the point that it started to bloom a blush…<br>It made Luna think of Thief and suddenly the world seemed so small to her. She wasn't the only one who was falling – or had already fallen – for someone whom was ultimately different from her.  
>In shape, in body, and in species; they were both entirely different and the Umbreon still looked at Pidgeotto with stars in his eyes. As if he'd found the northern star for the first time in his life.<br>Forcing herself to stop staring Luna quickly diverted her attention to Thief's Pokéball. She sat; staring at the reflection that shimmered in the dim light like hot oil. From the reflection in the Pokéball she could see the Umbreon and the Pidgeotto walk out side-by-side, chatting, smiling, and she knew that they were both in love with one another. They were truthful and honest, but Luna was lovesick and lost  
><em>'Why did I share that berry in the first place… Why did I kiss him? Why… did I want to?'<em> Crumpling down to the linoleum floor (Luna watched her chest from resting on it) her eyes kept on her reflection in the hood of the Pokéball. _'Why do I remember all these things now?'_ The questions pelted her again and again  
><strong><em>'Why… did I choose to forget?'<em>**

"Now remember to apply this potion and antidote daily." Nurse Joy was just finishing with another trainer. They waved goodbye and even gave Griffin a smile on the way out. He didn't get it at all  
>"It's been a while since I've seen a trainer with a Pidgeotto." Griffin brought up. "I don't know why but I hardly ever run into trainers with bird-types.<br>"You're kidding right? If your go anywhere between Cerulean and Pewter, or even Saffron, Lavender and Vermillion there's tons of bird trainers." Natasha rebuttled "In fact, I should've caught a Pikachu when I was back near Viridian."  
>"You didn't see one there?"<br>"Oh I did, but like I said before – I'm an Eevee trainer. I don't usually train other Pokémon but Eevee's." Griffin took a quick look at his PokeNav for the time *3:03 PM*  
>"Our Pokémon have been in for a while…" Griffin said – more to himself than anyone else<br>"One of the biggest reasons why I came back to Saffron" Natasha was already busy talking to Brad "I really wanted to go to Maidens Peak."  
>"Maidens Peak?" Griffin cut in<br>"Yeah, they have a festival at the end of the summer right?"  
>"Sure they have a festival and all but I really wanted to go see the statue. Anyways the summers already finished so I doubt there would be a festival." Natasha replied looking out the window towards the early sunset. "The seasons are already starting to change and all."<br>"Oh, you said you are an Eevee trainer?" Brad asked  
>"No I train Diglets" Natasha replied bluntly and sarcastically<br>"Haha. No I wanted to bring up a rumor I heard. A place called 'Leaf Forest' helps grass-types evolve apparently. I guess it would help an Eevee evolve into a Leafeon."  
>"Oh… that's really good information." Natasha chuckled<br>"Oh my god" Griffin stood up from the chair "I forgot to call Trevor back." He pulled out his PokeNav and stepped outside for some air. Once he was free Griffin sighed and dialed a number he knew off by hear  
>"Hey Griff! I was wondering when you'd call back…" Trevor chuckled on the other line; the sounds of a Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan were somewhere further off<br>"Yeah, sorry about that I got in a bit of a… argument and it turned into a huge Pokémon Battle. It sounds like you're at the gym."  
>"Yep, I wanted to get some exercise in and my Pokémon wanted some to." There was a residual chime of 'SandSlash' in the background too. Sandshrew or Spirit (As Trevor called him) was his first Pokémon; he was at least more than ten years now. After Trevor tried to compete in the Pokémon League he opened up a gym for humans and Pokémon in Hoenn. Griffin would spend most of his days there instead of watching his brother run his Pokémon dry – Trevor was balanced when it came to training; some days on, some days off. When it came to Logan it was more some weeks on – maybe a month, and a day or two off – depending on injuries. That was what pissed Griffin off the most. "So Spirit and I were just checking a few laps and Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan are sparring with each other. Besides that, I wanted to see how you've been doing! All of us have been dying to hear from you." Griffin felt a smile coming on<br>"Oh I've been great! I've already got two badges and I'm waiting in Saffron now, I'll be taking on the Psychic gym next."  
>"Well you have Shadow and Bandit with you, so a Psychic gym won't stand a chance!"<br>"Actually… I've been trying not to use them." Griffin felt his smile fade. "I've been running into a mixture of problems along the way."  
>"You wanna chat about it?" Griffin went quiet<br>"… Sure, just don't tell Logan please. He already called me once today."  
>"I won't tell him." And with that Griffin explained everything, from meeting Brad towards the fire in Cerulean and losing Moonlight, Thief, and his Vulpix – all the way to tracking them at the Magnet Train station where his Vulpix got terribly injured and Bandit too. Griffin explained all he could about the Gym Battles, and the complications with him and the police recently – and the signing with a professor: Ayumu Akiyama. He then went on about the Absol that was stolen that he took in – he still hadn't found any information on her. Griffin then got onto the topic of Shadow and Bandit<br>"Jeaz, you've had one hell of a trip so far." Trevor said – he had Griffin on his Bluetooth the entire time they talked so he was interrupted from Trevor's workout routine.  
>"I think so – I feel like this is part of some Hollywood blockbuster."<br>"Sounds like it. Just remember to take days off here and there. Your Pokémon will be grateful for them."  
>"I'll be sure to, but I have to go check in on them. Bye I'll call you again I promise."<br>"Anytime Griffin, bye." He hung up his Pokenav, it was three forty-seven in the afternoon now and Griffin believe that he had never talked so much in his life before. Back in the center Nurse Joy got their attention the moment Griffin walked back in  
>"Your Pokémon are ready." She smiled and they all took them back. Luna trotted out alongside with Thief – she decided to wake him up afterall.<br>"Thank you!" They all said and waved goodbye.  
>"Now for dinner!" Natasha brought up – everyone remembered that they were starving by that point<br>"Good call!" Brad smiled and put his hands in his jeans. Aura kept pace beside him, watching the crowd flow bye. They walked on for the afternoon talking about their plans for the gym and considering that they may just go to Maidens Peak afterall.

End of Chapter 10


End file.
